A Big Mistake
by MauraJaneRizzles
Summary: Jane believes she cheated on Maura. Will Maura be able to forgive her? Will Jane and Maura's relationship survive the trials of the coming weeks, months? Will the demons be able to be put to rest?
1. Chapter 1

"Maura, please!" begged Jane an the blonde turned her back on her and walked to the window.

Maura remained silent.

"Maura" Jane said then noticed the blonde's shoulders shaking in silent sobs.

Maura sniffed loudly but made no other sound.

Hesitant, Jane stepped toward Maura and reached a tentative hand out to touch Maura's shoulder.

Sensing what Jane was doing and not wanting or liking to be touched when upset, Maura said "No, Jane!"

Jane stopped and pulled her hand back like she had just received an electrical shock and said "No to what?"

Silence.

"No to forgiveness? No to touching you? No to us? Please Maura, tell me."

"Do! Not! Touch! Me!" was all Maura said.

"Ok. Ok. I won't touch you but can we at least sit down and talk about this?"

"I...suppose." said Maura, venom in her normally gentle voice.

"Thank you." said Jane in an unusually timid voice.

Jane's heart sunk even lower than it was when the blonde turned to face her. Her beautiful hazel eyes were

red-rimmed, puffy, and tears continued to stream down her face.

"Oh Maur." said Jane and reached out to take Maura's hand.

"No touching!"

The brunette snatched her hand back. It was more out of surprise at Maura's tone of voice than anything else.

"No touching." said the brunette and offered the blonde her choice of chairs.

Maura opted for an uncomfortable-looking, red plastic chair that Jane avoided sitting in whenever she could

while Jane, cognizant of Maura's opposition to touching at this moment, chose to sit at the far end of the couch.

As Jane leaned forward to close some of the gap between her and Maura, Maura's spine stiffened and she

leaned further back in her chair as if to get further away from Jane. A look of pure venom shone from Maura's eyes.

"Oh no." thought Jane. "I'm in for it in 3-2-1..."

BOOM

"Casey?!" screeched Maura. "You cheated on me with Casey?! How could you Jane!"

"Maura, I'm sor..."

"Sorry." snapped Maura. "Yes. I know you're sorry. You've told me more than once how sorry you are."

"Then why won't you believe me?" asked Jane, a note of desparation in her voice.

"Because I can't believe you. First - because you cheated on me, and second - because you cheated on me

with Casey, of all people! You know I can't stand him."

Jane said nothing. Her face burned scarlett and she lowered her head.

Silence passed loudly between them.

Maura finally said, "Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

Jane slowly lifted her head and Maura's eyes widened in shock and disbelief when she saw tears streaming

down Jane's face.

"Maura." Jane said in a soft, croaking voice. "I made a mistake. A big mistake. I can't tell you enough how

sorry I am and that I wish I could turn back the clock so it would have never happened."

Maura, still taken aback by Jane's tears, said in a much softer voice than before, "Why don't you tell me how

it happened."

Jane, sniffing loudly and back-handing the tears from her cheeks, nodded her head in agreement.

"It started back when we were in high school." Jane began, voice still thick with tears.

"You started fornicating with him in high school?" Maura asked, eyes huge.

"No." Jane said with a weak chuckle. "My infatuation with him started back in high school."

"Oh." said Maura. "My error. Please continue."

"He didn't start going to school with us until high school, when his family moved to the US from South Africa.

His parents were missionaries or something like that. All the girls fell in love with his accent and the mystery of a guy

who lived on a different continent all of his life, including me."

The blonde smiled at the brunette then said "I suppose I can see how that would happen."

"Didn't you have any new, cool guys come to your school?" asked Jane, incredulously.

"I attended a private, all girls school." said Maura.

"Oh." was all Jane could respond with, then cleared her throat and continued with her story as if there were

no interruptions. "I found myself day dreaming about him and wondering what it would be like to kiss him. You know,

kiss a guy with a really cool accent."

"Jane." reprimanded Maura. "You know that having an accent would have no bearing on the kissing ability

of an individual."

"Maura...it was high school!" Jane said, exasperated.

"Oh. Umm. Yes." said the blonde now blushing scarlett. "I'm sorry. I interrupted again."

Jane, smiling for the first time in what seemed like years, said "It's ok. I wasn't very smart back then."

"Jane!" was all Maura said because the brunette held up a hand to stop her.

"When I finally did get to kiss him..." Jane stopped.

"Yes?" inquired Maura.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." said Jane.

"I'm confused." said Maura. "What do you mean by nothing?"

Grinning, Jane said, "I was expecting bells, whistles, fireworks at the least but...nothing. Just a regular

old kiss."

"You must have been very disappointed." said the blonde sympathetically.

"I was and had all but given up on anything else to do with him until..."

Maura slid to the edge of her seat, leaned closer to Jane, and said "Until what?"

"Until the day I saw him without a shirt. Wow! Was he ever built, especially for a high school guy."

Jane sat back on the couch and allowed her thoughts to drift back, twenty years and remember that day.

A cough from Maura brought Jane out of that particular day dream and back to the reality of what she was

facing and whom she was facing it with.

"Aaah, yah." Jane stammered. "That's when I decided I wanted...umm, I wanted to sleep with him."

"Did you?" asked Maura. "I mean, did you fornicate with him before the other night?"

The hurt in the blonde's voice at that last statement stabbed the brunette right through the heart.

"No." said Jane. "We didn't, umm, fornicate. We came close a couple times but never did (Jane's voice

trailed off and she mumbled) until the other night."

Maura sat up a little straighter and asked "Was it everything you expedted it to be? Was it worth risking our

relationship over?"

Jane gave her a blank look.

"The fornication, I mean. Was it everything you thought it would be? After all, you've had twenty years and

several rolls in bed with me to fanticize about being with him."

The hurt and anger in Maura's voice was almost more than Jane could bear and it brought her out of the

trance she had slipped into.

"Well?" asked Maura, impatiently tapping her toe.

"I don't know." said Jane, earnestly.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" asked Maura.

"I can't remember anything about being with him."


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean, you don't remember?" asked Maura, eyes wide in shock.

"I mean I can't remember having sex with him." said Jane, head in her hands.

"Jane. Look at me."

Head shake, no.

"Look at me, Jane Clementine Rizzoli."

Jane slowly rolled her eyes upward until she was looking at Maura.

"Are you sure you had coitus with him?"

"Yes."

"How can you be sure be sure if you have no recollection of the event?"

"Because." mumbled Jane.

"Because what?" asked Maura.

Blushing furiously Jane said, "Because I had stuff coming out of me."

"Stuff?" asked Maura. "Are you referring to semen?"

"Yes, Maura. Semen. I had semen coming out of me." Jane wished she could just die...right now.

"You are 100% positive it was spermatozoa coming out of you?"

"Yes." Jane yelled. "God Maura. Do I have to tell you everything?"

"Yes." said Maura matter of factly. "It would be extremely helpful to me if I know everything."

Jane let out a big sigh and said "Where do you want me to begin?"

"Start at the beginning of that night. I mean, when you first ran into Casey and tell me everything that happened

until your confession to me."

Jane, her face so crimson it was almost purple, nodded her ascent.

"You were out of town at that conference for the weekend and I didn't know what to do with myself. It was a

Friday night so I was thinking of things to do. I didn't want to stay in and visiting my family was way out of the question."

Maura smiled at that, knowing how overbearing Jane's family could be.

"So I decided to go out and have a drink or two."

"At the Dirty Robber?" asked Maura.

"Yah." said Jane. "While I was having a beer, someone sat down beside me."

"Casey?" Maura asked.

"Yah. Casey." Jane paused. "We got talking about school and people we hadn't seen for years when he asked if

he could buy me a beer. I agreed and we drank that round and maybe one or two more."

"Maybe one or two more? You don't remember how many drinks you had that night?" Maura knew Jane always

knew how many drinks she had and never let herself go to the point of intoxication.

"No, actually. I don't remember. Hummmm." said Jane, worry beginning to etch it's way onto her finely chiseled

face.

"Then what?" asked Maura, now in full interrogation mode.

"Geez, Maur." said Jane. "You are a tougher interrogator than I am. Let me pull my thoughts together, ok?"

"I'm sorry, Jane. Continue when you're ready."

"Ok. We had those drinks then I remember us getting up and going out the door. I remember going outside

because the air was so cold, it was like a slap in the face after the warmth of the Dirty Robber."

Jane sat quietly, trying to pull her thoughts together. After a few moments, she just looked at Maura. She didn't

say anything, just looked.

The vacant, blank stare in Jane's eyes scared Maura. She jumped up from her chair and hurried to sit beside Jane

on the couch.

"Jane?" she asked as she slipped an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Jane. You're trembling. What's going

on? What are you remembering?" Maura was becoming increasingly alarmed at Jane's unusual behavior.

Blinking as if to clear cobwebs from her eyes, Jane found focus on the blonde.

"Maur?" asked Jane. "Why are you hugging me? I thought you were angry with me."

"I am, Jane. I am angry with you but something happened to you that night. Something that has caused you to

have large holes in your memory. Why don't you relax back and keep talking. Maybe by talking, something will spark a

memory for you."

"Ok, Dr Freud." said Jane sarcastically.

Maura knew not to get offended because she knew the detective resorted to sarcasm whenever she was

uncomfortable. Maura simply sat in silence, arm around Jane, waiting for her to go on.

"I remember a room."

"Your room?"

"No. It was Casey's motel room. I remember not wanting to be there. Not knowing how I got there." Jane drew a

vacant look again.

"What happened next? Where was Casey?"

"I don't know. I can't remember. I only remember waking up and it was light outside and..."

"And what, Jane?"

"And...and...I...I was...naked." Jane's head drooped in shame.

Maura, becoming more irritated by the second, asked "Was Casey there? Was he in bed with you?"

"Yes. He was there and he was in bed with me. He was naked too." Jane, eyes wild with horror and despair,

buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

"It's alright, Jane. Take your time." said Maura soothingly as she rubbed gentle circles into Jane's back.

Jane composed herself, flipped her curly black hair back from her face, dried her eyes with the backs of her

hands and began again.

"I remember lying there, wondering how I got there, when he began to stir. I tried to hurry out of bed but my

head was swimming and I felt nautious. That's when I discovered his stuff was on me."

"His stuff?" asked Maura.

"You know. His stuff. The stuff we talked about earlier."

"Oh." said Maura. "That stuff."

"Yah." said Jane.

"Where was it on you, Jane? Where was it on your body?"

"Where?"

"Yes. Where was it's location?"

"Well." Jane was turning red as a beet again. "It was on me...down there." She pointed with a long, slender

finger to her pubic area. "When I stood up, it rolled down my leg and it was sticky and gross. I was sore down there too."

Jane began shaking again and was again on the verge of tears.

Maura pulled her in closer and wrapped her free arm across Jane's front and pulled her into an even tighter hug.

"I...I...went into the bathroom, cleaned up, got dressed, and left."

"Did Casey know you left?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. He didn't come after me or anything." Jane sat quiet a moment then asked. "Do

you think I was roofied?"

"I'm not sure, Jane." said Maura.

The kiss Maura placed on Jane's forehead did it. Jane broke down completely and clung to Maura as if she were

a life raft and Jane was going down for the third time. Violent tremors rocked Jane's body as Maura continued to sit there

and hold onto her best friend and lover. Maura knew that Jane needed to get it all out and let her go.

The tears finally began to slow and when speech was possible, Jane croaked "Maur. I'm scared. What did I do

that night? What happened to me? Did I do something with Casey or was it set up to look like I did? Where is Casey?"

"I don't know, sweetie." said Maura as she planted another kiss on Jane's forehead, "But I'm sure as hell going to

find out."


	3. Chapter 3

Maura finally got Jane, exhausted from emotions and fear, tucked in for the night. Maura shot down every one of Jane's protests that she was able to drive home and finally convinced her to go up and sleep in her bed for the night. It wasn't like Jane had never slept there before.

Maura crawled in bed beside Jane, wrapped an arm around her and stayed there until she was sure that Jane was sound asleep before crawling out of bed, slipping out the door and tip toeing down the stairs. As she left the room, she grabbed Jane's cell phone so it wouldn't ring and wake her. She also knew there was a phone number in there that she needed.

Maura settled onto the couch to begin making calls. The first, of course, was to Jane's loving and well-intentioned but overbearing mother, Angela.

"Rizzoli residence."

"Angela. It's Maura."

"Oh. Hi, Maura."

"Hi. Sorry to call so late but I wanted to let you know that Jane will be spending the night, at my place."

"Is she alright?" Concern evident in Angela's voice.

"She's fine. hives She just had a bad day and was too tired to drive home. I suggested she stay here and she's upstairs sleeping right now."

"You're sure she's alright. She doesn't need to go to the doctor or anything, does she?"

"Angela. I _am_ a doctor." Maura gently reminded her.

"Oh. Oh, yes. Of course you are" said Angela. "Just being a mother. Thank you for calling."

"My pleasure" said Maura. "I knew you would be worried if you tried to call Jane and weren't able to get in touch with her."

"Thank you, Maura. You are such a good friend to my Janie."

Before making the second and much more difficult phone call, Maura sneaked back up the stairs to check on Jane. Loud snores greeted Maura as she opened the door to her bedroom. Smiling, Maura thought "Jane is good at shaking the paint off the wall with those snores" then as quiet as she could, the blonde shut the door and went back down stairs.

Maura scrolled through the contact list in Jane's phone until she finally found the right one. Using her own phone, she dialed the number of Vince Korzak.

"Korzak." The familiar gruff voice said on the other end.

"Sargent Korzak. This is Dr. Isles. I'm so sorry to be calling this late but I need to talk to you about Jane."

"About Jane? Is she ok? Has something happened?"

"Well...yes and no" Maura answered.

"Come on Maura. What's going on? Has something happened to Jane?"

"Before I get into that. Can I be assured that what we discuss will be kept between us. Just you and me?"

Silence.

"Sargent Korzak? Vince?"

"I'm still here."

"Well? Can I trust that what I'm going to tell you will remain between us?"

"Depends on what it is, Maura. If it's something real serious, I might have to involve others."

Not happy with the possibility of involving others (especially since Jane knew nothing of Maura calling Korzak) but wanting to find out what happened to Jane, Maura agreed.

"Ok, Vince but _only_ if we have to involve others in this."

"Agreed" said Korzak.

"Remember when I went out of town the other weekend for that conference?"

"Yah. I remember."

"Well..." She told Korzak the same story that Jane had told her, with some exceptions.

"Damn" said Korzak when Maura was finished talking. "I had no idea she had gone through anything like that. Roofied? Jane? Are you sure it was that bastard, Casey, that did it to her? How did you find out? Jane doesn't let tell anyone anything about her personal life."

She told me because of the guilt she was feeling because she cheat..." Maura trailed off.

"She what? Did you say she cheated?"

"No," hives

"Maura!"

"Oh. Ok. Yes. I said cheated."

"Are you and she?"

Big sigh.

"Yes. We are. Please keep that to yourself as well. We aren't ready for our relationship to become public knowledge."

"Sure, Maura. Sure. I can do that" said Korzak.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Korzak asked, "Where is Jane? I'm sure she's not feeling too well after reliving all of that."

"She's here. I mean, she's here, upstairs, asleep. She was too emotionally drained to drive and I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her.

"Sure, sure. I know you'll keep her safe. Now what do you want to do about her situation?"

"I was hoping that you could do some investigating and find out what Casey did to Jane."

"I'm on it."

"Thanks, Vince. I knew I could count on you."

_three weeks later_

"Good morning, Sargent" said Maura as she walked into the bullpen.

"Dr. Isles" he responded in greeting.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" the blonde inquired.

"Sure, Maura. Where's Jane?" Korzak asked as he scanned the bullpen.

"She said something about needing to stop off in the ladies room and I thought this would give us a chance to talk."

Korzak nodded and followed Maura into the break room where, on the pretext of grabbing coffee, they closed the door and had a private conversation instead.

"What do you have for me, Vince?" asked Maura.

"Not much, I'm afraid."

"I don't understand. How could someone in the military simply fall off the graft?"

"It's off the grid, Maura, and he didn't fall off it. He took an early retirement. Twenty years and out with full pension."

"He must have given some sort of mailing address. Where does he get his mail?"

"Mail is to a PO box and checks are direct deposit into the account he's had for years."

"We must find him, Vince. We need to know what happened to Jane."

"Jane seems fine to me."

"I know Jane seems fine to you but she isn't. She thrashes about in her sleep, cries out, whimpers, and is becoming so upset over not knowing that she is becoming physically ill."

As if she sensed they were talking about her, Jane opened the door to the break room and walked in.

"There you two are" said Jane. "I've been looking for you."

"We weren't hiding from you, Jane. We were just in here talking while getting some coffee" said Maura as she pulled a face after a sip of bitter coffee. "I'll be in the morgue if you need me."

Jane looked at Korzak and asked "Why was the door shut?"

"It must have shut on it's own."

"Oh" said Jane and she started toward the coffee pot. After a few steps, she paled and stopped as she broke out in a sweat.

"Hey Rizzoli. You ok?" asked Korzak.

With one hand clenching her stomach and the other death-gripping the counter, Jane turned her dark eyes on Korzak and said, "Yah, Korzak. I'm fine." Then she fainted, dead away.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jane. Jane!" Korzak yelled as he gently slapped her on both sides of her face.

He went to tap her on the cheek again when he felt something warm and sticky on his hands. Horrified, he pulled his hands away to see they were covered in blood.

"Jane!" he yelled again before jumping up and running out of the break room into the bullpen and yelling, "Maura!"

"Korzak" Frankie said. "What's the matter?"

"It's Jane. Where's Maura?"

"She went..." Frankie began before realizing what Korzak had said and "Where's my sister? What's happened to her?"

"Break room" said Korzak before he yelled again "WHERE'S MAURA?"

Frankie took of running toward the break room and yelling Jane's name at the same time.

Cavanaugh heard the commotion, came out of his office and demanded "What the hell is going on out here?"

"It's Jane. Get Maura up here NOW" Korzak yelled at the Lieutenant before quickly adding "Sir" at the end.

Moments later Maura arrived on the floor, medical bag in hand and Korzak waiting for her at the elevator.

"What's going on?" she asked. "I got several texts and phone calls telling me to get up here STAT."

Grabbing Maura by the elbow and directing her through the bullpen and to the break room, he said "It's Jane."

"Jane?" asked Maura, voice full of concern. "What happened to her?"

"Right after you left, she went to get a cup of coffee and...passed out."

"She passed out?"

"Yah. Passed out cold, hit her head a couple of times on the way down, blood everywhere."

Racing into the break room and kneeling beside her lover, Maura tried to keep her emotions in check as she began her assessment.

"Jane" Maura said as she caressed Jane's face while trying to make it look like an assessment.

Jane didn't move. She didn't even flicker her eyes as Maura drew back her eyelids and shined a light into them.

"Jane!" she said, louder this time. Jane still didn't respond.

Seeing all the blood pooling under the brunette's head, Maura said "Frankie. Hold pressure on these two lacerations for me."

Frankie, already on the floor beside his sister said "Ok Doc." and did as instructed.

Maura was beginning to panic. This was something that she never did, but then again, her lover was never out cold and unresponsive like this before. "Someone call an ambulance."

"Already done, Dr Isles" someone responded.

After composing herself and sure her emotions were under control, Maura said to Korzak, "Tell me exactly what happened before Jane passed out and where on the cabinet/counter she struck her head."

"It was like I told ya, Doc. We were standing here talking and Jane started toward the coffee pot." He paused.

"What, Vince?" Maura's voice rang with urgency.

Korzak frowned as if remembering the scene and said, "She kinda went pale then broke out in a sweat."

"Did anything else happen?"

"Yah, yah. She grabbed the counter with one hand and grabbed her stomach with the other."

Maura nodded at him to continue, Jane remained unresponsive.

"I asked her if she was ok. She said she was then went out. Just like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Her head, Vince. What did she hit her head on?" asked Maura.

"Geez Doc. I don't know."

"Think Vince, think" demanded Maura. "I need to know what she hit her head on. There has to be an explanation as to why she is still unconscious."

"She went down so fast, Maura. I just don't know."

Maura, hand never leaving contact with Jane since she knelt down for the initial assessment, felt a stirring under her fingers.

"Jane? Jane. Can you hear me? Talk to me, Jane."

"Janie" said Frankie. "Janie, talk to us."

A low moan came from Jane and she tried to move Frankie's hands from the lacerations on her scalp.

"Easy Jane" said Maura as she gently but firmly pulled Jane's hands back down to her sides.

Jane's eyelids flickered as she slowly opened her left eye, the right one rapidly swelling shut.

"Jane. Look at me" said Maura as she held onto either side of Jane's bruised and bloody face.

"Maur?" Jane asked. "What...?" Jane started to lose consciousness again.

"Jane!" yelled Maura. "Don't you dare pass out on me again. You stay with me. You say focused on me. Do you hear me?"

Jane's brow knitted together as she struggled to focus on Maura. When she finally focused on Maura's face, her frown deepened and she said, "Have...to...puke..."

"Quick, Frankie" said Maura. "Let's get her turned onto her side. Keep your hands on those lacerations and hold her head as still as possible.

Frankie, almost as pale as Jane, nodded and continued to follow whatever instructions Maura gave him.

Jane heaved and heaved but nothing came up.

Hearing Jane's moans and each one breaking her heart a bit more, Maura demanded "Where is that ambulance?"

_several hours later_

Maura had finally convinced everyone to go home and that she would call them if anything else occurred. Jane had been wakened several times and had spoken to each of them. This was satisfactory to everyone except Angela, whom Maura had a hard time convincing to go home and get some rest. Finally, after Jane told her mother that she was fine and to go home, Angela agreed but added that she was going to sleep with the phone beside her pillow and that Maura was to call her if anything and she meant _anything_ happened.

"Jane. Time to wake up, honey."

Jane heard and recognized Maura's voice but wanted to ignore it because she was so warm, comfortable, and not in too much pain at the moment. She knew if she listened to Maura and woke up, her head would start pounding and she would throw up and she didn't want to throw up.

"Honey. Wake up. The doctor's here and needs to talk to you."

"No" Jane mumbled. "Hurts to wake up."

"I know it hurts detective but I need to talk to you."

This was a voice that Jane didn't recognize.

"I've turned down the lights, detective, so it shouldn't hurt too much" that unfamiliar voice said again.

"Thanks" muttered Jane and she reluctantly pulled herself into consciousness.

"Welcome back sweetheart" said Maura as she placed a gentle kiss on Jane's cheek.

"Maura" said Jane. "What happened? I feel like I was hit by a truck and my head feels like it was used for target practice."

"Don't you remember talking to everyone? Don't you remember convincing your mother to go home?"

Jane's brow furrowed and she began to shake her head no, then reconsidered the action.

"Maybe I can help with some of those questions" said the unfamiliar voice. "I'm Dr. Carter. I've been looking after you since you were brought in."

"Hey Doc" said Jane. "Do you think you can come to this side of the bed? I'm not seeing too well out of your side at the moment."

"Yes. Of course. I should have realized that. My apologies, detective."

"No worries and call me Jane. This is Maura, my partner."

Seeing that Jane was beginning to fade already, Dr Carter came around and shook hands with both women, even though he had met Maura several hours earlier.

With a sense of dread building inside her, Maura said "What is it, Dr Carter? What caused Jane to pass out like that? Has she lost some of her memory? She doesn't remember talking to anyone."

"Yes. I'll get to that but I want to go over the injuries sustained in the fall."

"Ok, Doc. Shoot" said Jane, left eyelid drooping, right eye swollen shut.

"You sustained lacerations to your temporal and parietal areas." He showed her on his own scalp where those locations were. "These injuries resulted in seven and nine stitches respectively. We also had to shave some of your hair in order to suture the wounds, sorry about that. You also have a hematoma to your occipital area." He pointed to the back of his head. "This resulted in a concussion."

"Is that why my head feels like it's going to explode and I get nauseated every time I move?" asked Jane.

"Yes and no" said Dr. Carter.

"Excuse me, Dr. Carter" said Maura. "What do you mean by yes and no?"

Directing his answer at Jane, he said. "Yes. This is why your head hurts. Yes and no as to why you are nauseated."

"I don't get it, Doc. Can you dumb it down to a concussed detective's level?" asked Jane.

"Yes, detective, I can. Quite simply, you are pregnant."


	5. Chapter 5

"Pregnant!" exclaimed Jane and Maura at the same time.

Maura sunk down on the bed beside Jane in total shock then reached for Jane's hand, just as Jane's hand clamped down onto Maura's arm and she said, "Bucket!"

Maura grabbed the basin from the bedside table and held it under Jane's chin while she dry-heaved into it. It had been hours since Jane had eaten anything.

When Jane was finished, Maura put the basin back on the table and grabbed a tissue to wipe Jane's mouth but as she turned, Jane latched onto her and began to sob, uncontrollably.

Dr. Carter, not knowing the circumstances surrounding Jane's pregnancy, stood at the bedside at a loss as to what to do. He then said, somewhat stupidly, "I take it this pregnancy was unplanned?" turning the statement into a question at the very end.

Maura, trying to console Jane while keeping her own emotions at bay, said to him "We'll talk later."

Dr. Carter nodded and left the two women alone to sort things out.

Maura, now sobbing along with Jane, felt her heart shatter into a million pieces when Jane kept saying over and over again "I'm sorry. All my fault. Shouldn't have gone out. A mistake. A big mistake. Forgive me, Maura. Please forgive me."

After about forty-five minutes, Jane became still and quiet. Maura looked down and saw that Jane had, literally, cried herself to sleep. She eased the brunette back onto the pillows, dried Jane's face with a soft washcloth, made sure she was covered, and slipped out of the room to find Dr. Carter.

As she approached the nurse's station, she heard someone call her name from the visitor's area. It was Dr. Carter.

Flashing him a weary smile and an even wearier wave, Maura walked over to him and asked, "Is there somewhere we can go and talk, privately?"

"Sure" he said. "Follow me."

He took her down the hall to a vacant physician's dictation room and placed the 'IN USE' sign on the door before closing it.

"Please sit down, Dr. Isles" Dr. Carter said politely.

"Thank you and please, call me Maura."

"I'm Brian" he said.

After a moment, Brian said "From yours and Jane's reactions, I take it you weren't trying to get pregnant. You did say you were together, as a couple, didn't you?"

"Yes, we are together and no, we weren't trying to get pregnant."

"I see" said Brian shooting a quizzical glance in Maura's direction.

"No. You don't see" said Maura as she let out a deep sigh. "About six weeks ago, Detective Rizzoli became the victim of a sex crime."

"Oh Maura" said Brian. "I am so terribly sorry to hear that. No wonder you both reacted to the news the way you did. How did it happen?"

"I had a conference out of town that particular weekend and Jane decided to go out for a drink at our favorite pub. She ran into an old classmate from high school and..." Maura proceeded to tell him most of the story, leaving out certain parts.

"How horrible" was all Brian could say when Maura finished her tale.

"Yes. Jane has been very traumatized by the whole situation, especially because she is a police officer and she was the one who got roofied and raped."

"Do you think she will continue or terminate the pregnancy?"

"I really don't know. I knew that there was always a chance of pregnancy but it was just a fleeting thought. We'll need time to let the news sink in and discuss our options before any decisions will be made."

Smiling at her, Brian said "Detective Rizzoli is very lucky to have someone like you in her life. You must be a very understanding partner."

"Well, six weeks ago I wasn't. She didn't realize that she had been drugged and raped. She just thought, given the condition she was in the morning afterward, that she had cheated on me. I was extremely angry and didn't know if I could forgive her when she confessed, but I guess from what I just told you, you can see how my feelings changed."

"It's understandable that you would have been angry. I'm glad you took the time to discuss the situation with her and to find out that she didn't cheat on you."

"Me too" said Maura.

As Maura sneaked back into Jane's room, one of the door hinges squeaked and woke Jane up.

"Sorry sweetheart" said Maura as she rushed over to Jane's bedside.

"Maur?" asked Jane. "Did that doctor tell us that I'm pregnant or was it just a bad dream. I can't seem to keep anything straight in my mind right now."

"No honey. It wasn't a dream. I did say and you are pregnant."

Jane turned white as a sheet and grabbed the basin and dry-heaved into it again. Tears began rolling down Jane's face but Maura wasn't sure if it was from the news or from the dry-heaving.

Touching Jane's arm, Maura asked "Would you like to talk about it?"

Not thinking of the consequences, Jane shook her head no then heaved again into the basin.

"Jane. Talk to me. Tell me what you're feeling."

Sniffling and turning so her back was facing Maura, Jane whispered "I can't."

"Please Jane. Talk to me. Let me help you. How can I help you?"

"Go home, Maura" Jane whispered between sobs.

Maura was at a loss. She had never seen Jane like this. She had never been shut out of Jane's life like this. "Jane..."

"Please" (sniff) "go" (sniff) "home" (sniff) was what Jane managed to get out before sobs overtook her and she was unable to say anymore.

Maura said, "Ok, Jane. I'll go home. Is it alright if I come back in the morning?"

Maura thought she saw a shoulder shrug but wasn't sure due Jane's body being racked by sobs.

Maura leaned over, rubbed Jane's arm and placed a gentle kiss on her head then said "I love you" and headed for the door.

As she turned to look at her beloved once more before leaving for the night, she was struck anew with heartache as she saw Jane Rizzoli, tough Boston homicide cop, lying in a fetal position, crying her heart out.

Maura managed to make it out of the hospital and to her car before her own grief overtook her and she broke down. "Oh Jane" she cried. "Please don't push me out of your life. I need you so badly."


	6. Chapter 6

Jane remained in the fetal position sobbing, shaking, and scared. She reached behind her to touch Maura's hand but couldn't find it.

"Maura? Maura?" Jane said urgently as the horror of realization overtook her. She had told Maura to go home. She had sent her away. She had kicked the one person in the world who meant the most to her, out of her room. Hysteria bubbled as she screamed "MAURA! MAURA! COME BACK!"

Hearing the commotion coming from Jane's room, two nurses and an orderly raced in. They found Jane, partly out of bed, screaming her lungs out for Maura.

Nurse Baker, Jane's assigned nurse, frantically paged Dr. Carter while the other nurse and the orderly tried to get Jane back into bed.

Given Jane's head injury and the fact that was so nauseated and dizzy, they had little trouble getting her back into the bed but what they couldn't stop was her nonstop screaming for Maura.

After weighing the benefits versus the risks, Dr. Carter ordered Nurse Baker to administer 1mg of IV Lorazepam STAT then said "Call Maura, um, Dr. Isles and ask her to please come back in, You'll find her name and contact information in Detective Rizzoli's file under emergency contacts."

"Yes Dr. Carter." said Nurse Baker.

Nurse Baker administered the medication as ordered and waited with Jane as the drug slowly took effect. Jane went from screaming hysterically to sobbing and moaning Maura's name over and over.

Once Jane quieted, Nurse Baker phoned Maura.

"Dr. Isles." Maura said, not recognizing the number on the caller ID.

"Dr. Isles. This is Nurse Baker from the hospital."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Maura. "Has something happened to Jane?"

"Yes and no."

"What the hell is it with you people at that hospital and that yes and no answer?"

"Um. Sorry Dr. Isles."

"My apologies, Nurse Baker. It's been a very stressful day. What's going on? Has Jane gotten worse?"

"Well, we just found her trying to get out of bed and screaming hysterically for you."

"Oh my god!" Maura exclaimed again. "Did she fall? Has she gotten hurt?"

"No, Dr. Isles. We medicated her with 1mg of IV Lorazepam and it seems to have taken the edge off but for how long...I'm not sure."

"I'm on my way." said Maura.

"Thank you, Dr. Isles. You are what Detective Rizzoli seems to need right now."

"I can be there in 15 minutes. Please let Jane know I'm on my way."

"Consider it done." said Nurse Baker and the two women hung up.

Maura arrived at the hospital 12 minutes later and flashing her Medical Examiner's badge at the guard, was not delayed in reaching Jane's floor.

"Thank goodness you're here." said Nurse Baker as she rushed down the hall to greet her. "Detective Rizzoli is resting but keeps asking where you are."

"Thank you, Nurse Baker. I'll take it from here."

Maura hurried to Jane's room and tapped lightly on the open door as she softly call out "Jane. Jane. It's Maura. I'm here, Jane."

"Maura?" came a groggy voice from the bed. "Is it really you?"

"Yes Jane. It's really me."

"Maura. I...I'm so sorry."

Maura could hear Jane's voice thicken with tears as well as the slurred speech of someone under sedation.

"Shhh. It's alright Jane. I'm here."

"I didn't mean...I shouldn't have...my head is so messed up."

"I'm here. What do you want me to do?"

"Hold me." came the whispered answer.

"I can do that." said Maura as she kicked off her heels and crawled into bed beside Jane.

"Maur." said Jane as she allowed herself to be wrapped in Maura's warm, reassuring arms.

"Hummm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jane."

Jane fell asleep quickly but Maura stayed awake a while longer, enjoying the warmth of Jane's body next to hers and thinking about how much their lives were about to change. She pulled Jane in a bit closer, kissed her shoulder and then, she too, fell asleep.

Maura awoke the next morning to Dr. Carter slipping into the room. She gently extracted herself from Jane's embrace and got out of bed.

"Good morning, Brian." Maura whispered as she adjusted her clothes and slipped on her heels.

"Good morning, Maura." he said in return. "I trust everyone slept well last night."

"It was rough when I first got here but I managed to get her settled down and to sleep without much difficulty."

"That's good to hear. She was pretty out of it last night."

Maura nodded in agreement.

Brian continued, "I think all the events of the past six weeks finally caught up with her and the pregnancy news threw her right over the edge."

"I agree totally." said Maura then asked, "Do you want me to wake her so you can do an assessment?"

"No. That's ok. Have her nurse page me when she's awake and I'll come and see her. Sleep is what she needs the most right now."

"Thank you." said Maura. "Oh, Brian? Is it ok that I slept in her bed? I know it's usually frowned upon but she was so upset and asked me to, so I did."

"That's fine, Maura." Brian said with a chuckle. "Whatever it takes to help her heal, I'm all for."

"Thank you." she said.

"My pleasure. I'll let the staff know it's ok for you to sleep with her too."

Maura flashed him a dimpled smile then kicked off her shoes and slipped back into bed beside Jane.

A bit later, Maura was awakened by soft kisses on her cheek and neck. She blinked a few times then opened her eyes and saw the bruised face and the wild and crazy curly hair of Jane Rizzoli smiling down at her.

"Good morning sleepyhead." croaked Jane. The night of crying had made Jane's husky voice even huskier.

"Good morning." she said in return with a big smile on her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Nauseated and my head hurts but I think I feel hungry."

Smiling, Maura said "I'll go and get us some tea and toast."

Jane pulled a face.

"It will be the easiest on your stomach. You don't want to vomit again, do you?"

"Definitely not!" answered Jane with conviction.

"I'll have your nurse page Dr. Carter too and we'll see when we can get you out of here, ok?"

Jane smiled a huge, double dimpled smile at Maura as her answer.

Dr. Carter finished his assessment and was pleased to learn that Jane was able to keep the toast and tea down. Smiling at her, he said "At this rate I think you'll be able to go home tomorrow, as long as you have someone with you around the clock for the first week or so."

Jane looked at Maura who was nodding 'yes' at her, said "I don't think that will be a problem."


	7. Chapter 7

Maura got Jane settled on her couch and brought tea and toast over for them to eat. This was about all Jane was able to keep down, so they went with it.

Maura had just gotten herself settled with Jane's feet resting in her lap when her front door burst open. Both women jumped, tea and toast flying in every direction, then the unmistakable sound of Angela Rizzoli's voice was heard.

"Oh my god! My poor baby! Look at your face. Should you be home already? I stopped by the hospital and they said you had been discharged. Why didn't you tell me, Jane. After all, I _am_ the one who gave birth to you!"

At the mention of giving birth, Jane flinched but recovered before Angela noticed and said, "Ma! Maura was going to call you but I asked her to wait."

Seeing that her mother was building up a head of steam Jane quickly cut her off and added, "I asked her to wait until I got something to eat and had a nap so that I'd be able to visit with you. I get so tired so fast right now."

Angela huffed out a sigh but accepted her daughter's explanation. Her face softened and she walked over and kissed Jane on the the cheek then examined her face and scalp closer. "You look like hell, Janie." she said.

"Gee. Thanks Ma." said Jane with a big dose of sarcasm added.

"Oh Janie. You know what I meant."

"Yah Ma. I did." Jane smirked.

Maura, who had remained silent up until now to avoid the wrath of Angela, slid out from under Jane's feet, stood up, and asked "Can I get anything for anyone? Jane, would you like more toast and tea? You didn't get to eat yours?"

"Thanks Maura. That sounds great." said Jane as she grasped Maura's hand and looked into her face, eyes full of love.

Maura returned the loving look then turned to Jane's mother and asked, "Angela? Anything for you?"

Angela pulled her gaze from their clasped hands and said "Thank you, Maura. Tea would be wonderful." She cast a _what aren't you telling me_ glance at her daughter.

Jane ignored her and said "Maur, is it time for a pain pill yet? My head's starting to pound again."

Maura looked at her watch. "Yes Jane. It is time but I want you to eat something before you take your medicine so you don't get sick to your stomach."

Jane gave a slight nod in agreement.

The three women finished their tea, Jane finished her toast, took her medicine and had drifted off to sleep when Maura realized she needed to get Jane's prescriptions filled.

"Angela, would you mind staying with Jane while I go and get her prescriptions filled? I gave her the last of the medication they sent her home with and I don't want her to be without. She's not to be left alone either."

"Of course I'll stay with her, Maura. She's my daughter."

"Oh, well, yes." murmured Maura. "I won't be long. There's soup in the refrigerator if Jane wakes up and is hungry."

"Take your time." the matriarch said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane woke up from her nap with her stomach rolling and her mouth watering. She threw the covers off, staggered to her feet and stumbled to the bathroom. Her spinning head increased her nausea two-fold and she barely made it to the toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach.

"Jane. Janie." the brunette's mother called as she followed her into the bathroom. She just had time to grab Jane's wild curls and pull them out of the way before she threw up. "Janie. What's wrong? Do you need to back to the hospital?"

Jane, gasping and heaving and spitting all at the same time, said "No Ma. Some terrible smell woke me up and, I don't know, I just had to puke."

"Terrible smell!" Angela screeched. "That terrible smell just happens to be your lunch."

"Oh sorry Ma." Jane said as she motioned for Angela to help her up. "Maura left some soup for us in the fridge." Looking around, Jane added "Where is Maura by the way?"

"She went to get your prescriptions filled. She left about an hour ago. Did she really consider that lunch? Janie, it was nothing more than vegetable broth."

"Yah Ma. That's what we were going to eat. I, uh, I haven't been keeping much down and so toast, tea, and broth are it."

"Why, Janie? Why aren't you able to keep anything down?"

"It's the concussion. It causes me to be all dizzy and nauseated. That's all." Jane lied.

"Ok." Angela paused then asked, "Do you really think my soup smells terrible? I worked so hard on it for you. I am sorry but I used all your broth to make it."

"It's ok Ma. I know you were only doing what was best for me. I must have turned my head and made myself dizzy and got nauseated at the same time I smelled the soup. When the soup's done and when Maura gets home, I would love to try some."

"That's my girl." Angela said as she grabbed Jane's face and placed a kiss on each of her cheeks. "Oh and Janie...you might want to rinse. Your breath's a bit..."

"Oh. Right." Jane said as she grabbed the bottle of mouthwash. "Then will you help me back to the couch? I'm feeling a little bit weak."

"Of course, Janie. Of course I will."

Maura returned home as Angela was getting Jane settled back onto the couch. Noticing how pale and sweaty Jane was, she asked "Are you ok?"

"She's fine. She just got a little sick, that's all."

Jane flashed a wan smile at the blonde and said "Ma made us lunch. Isn't that great?" She rolled her eyes then winced from the gesture and wished she hadn't.

"Why yes. Thank you Angela." she said as she finally tore her gaze from Jane. "Soup sounds wonderful. May I help?"

"You just sit down there and keep my Janie company and I'll bring you lunch. It's so wonderful of you to take time off of work to take care of her. Do you have any saltines?"

Jane looked at Maura with a hopeful expression.

Clasping Jane's hand in a reassuring gesture, Maura said "Yes. They're in the cupboard beside the refrigerator."

"Thank you." Jane whispered. "What am I going to do? The smell is making me want to puke again."

Maura whispered back, "Eat some saltines first then try some broth. If you get sick, well, we'll make excuses then. Are you sure you don't want to tell her about the, you know...?"

"No." whispered Jane, "I'm not even sure how I feel about it yet."

"What are you two whispering about?" Called Angela from across the kitchen.

"Nothing Ma. I was just asking how things are at work." Lying to Angela came so easy to Jane.

"Work! Is that all you think about? You're on sick leave, Jane. You need to rest." Angela gave Jane – The Mom Look – as she served lunch.

"Thanks." said Jane as she took her tray from her mother and began nibbling at a cracker.

She managed to keep three crackers down and with a nod from Maura, tried the soup. 'Not bad' she thought and ate some more.

Angela, watching Jane for any signs of illness, asked "How's the soup, baby?"

Jane was about to tell her that she thought it was good when the nausea hit and hit hard. Instead, she said "Bathroom!" and scrambled off the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

Four weeks later Jane was cleared to go back to work for a half-day, desk duty only. This was good news as she was getting really bored and starting to drive a normally unflappable Maura crazy. She was feeling really good, not 100% but good, except for the persistent morning (actually all day) sickness.

Emerging from the bathroom after yet another episode of vomiting this morning, Jane said to Maura as she leaned heavily against the counter and folded her arms over her chest, "God Maura. When's this going to be over? You might know _his_ kid would do this to me."

"You know. You're only ten weeks pregnant. If you wanted to, um...um, terminate..."

"No!" said Jane emphatically. "As much as I hate Casey and what he did to me, I would never do anything to this baby. It's not his baby, I've just decided. It's my baby." Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Maura and added, "Our baby. Your baby...if you'll have us."

"Oh Jane." Maura said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Of course I'll have you. Both of you." She walked over, slid her arms around Jane's slightly expanding waist, and enveloped her in a warm embrace and kissed her deeply and passionately.

Jane felt her body respond to Maura's kiss and embrace in a way she felt had been lost to her, thanks to that bastard Casey and his actions. Jane, one of hand cupping the back of Maura's head and the other her butt, moaned as Maura broke the kiss. "Why'd you do that?" Jane asked, pupils dilated and eyes full of lust.

"We need to go to work." said Maura, slightly breathless and weak in the knees. It had been a long time since she and Jane had been intimate, thanks to Casey.

Jane, a sly smile playing on her face, said "Shall we continue this when we get home from work tonight?" Jane had all but moved in with Maura.

"Definitely!" said Maura, lust smoldering in her eyes too. "But correction...when I get home from work tonight. You, my dear, are coming home at noon."

Jane stomped her foot in a small display of temper.

"It's already been decided. Frankie will bring you home at noon." Maura paused then laughed and said, "Did you really just stomp your foot?"

Jane shot Maura a murderous look then grinned and said "Just practicing for this one." she pointed at her stomach. "Let's go to work."

When they arrived at BPD headquarters, Jane was greeted by several 'Good to see you back Rizzoli' and 'It's about time you get back here's'. Jane took it all in stride, just enjoying the idea that she was finally back.

Maura walked over to the elevator bank and pressed the up button for Jane and the down button for herself. "Are you sure you don't want me to ride up with you?" she asked.

Jane chewed her bottom lip then said "I think I'm going to take the stairs."

"The stairs? Why?"

"I'm feeling a little, you know, queasy and I don't think that elevator ride will do anything to make it go away. I don't want to greet my squad by puking all over them."

Giggling at the visual she conjured in her mind, Maura said "I think that's wise."

"I'm serious Maura. I'm not ready to let everyone know about the, um, package I'm carrying. They just found out about what happened. I don't want to lay that on them too."

"I'm sorry, Jane. I shouldn't have laughed. How about we tell them about the package together, when you're ready."

"Deal. Now...go cut up a dead person. I'll come see you before I go home."

Maura nodded, resisting the strong urge to grab Jane and kiss her, and said "Call me if you have any problems."

"Sure Maur. Thanks." Jane said and she headed up the stairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Rizzoli, welcome back." was heard by Jane the moment she stepped out of the stairwell. Jane looked around and saw the beaming face and husky body of Vince Korsak coming at her with his arms opened wide.

"Hey Vince." said Jane, tears threatening to spill as she hugged her Sargent. "It's good to be back."

"Why'd you take the stairs? Don't tell me you developed a phobia about elevators in your time off."

"Nah. I still get a bit of motion sickness from the concussion and didn't think the ride on the elevator was the best way to start my first day back."

Korsak nodded then looked at her with the sharp eye of a detective and said "There's something different about you, Jane."

"It's just the same old me." she said. "Just a few less brain cells than I had a month ago."

"No. That's not it. You look different. Give me a while and I'll put my finger on it.

God I hope not, Jane thought. I'm not ready for that can of worms to be opened yet.

Trying to divert Korsak from any further assessment of her, Jane said "Why don't you catch me up on what's been happening. I'm at your beck and call in the paperwork department for a while." She gave him a cheesy grin.

He laughed and said "You must be glad to be back. Never has Jane Rizzoli volunteered to do paperwork."

"Don't push it Korsak. My good humor can leave as fast as it came." She then lowered her voice and asked, "Any word on the whereabouts of that rat bastard, Casey?"

"Not yet kiddo but he is number one on the BPD's most wanted list. As soon as we see him, his ass is ours. That I can promise you."

"I know. " Jane said as tears rolled down her face. Damn hormones. "Sorry. I just want him caught to badly."

"I bet you do." said Korsak as he gave her a fatherly smile.

They spent the rest of the morning going over open and closed cases that Jane hadn't been at work for. She was just finishing up a report when she heard someone approach her desk.

"Janie." said Frankie. "It's noon. Cavanaugh sent me over to take you home."

"Seriously Frankie? I'm just getting back into the swing of things. Can't you come back in an hour or so?"

"No can do, Janie. Those orders came from the Leu. And I gotta obey them. Besides, if I don't take you home, Maura will skin me alive and I'll bet she knows how to do that."

"That, little brother, is a bet you would win." Jane said as she huffed out a sigh and pushed away from her desk. The backwards movement made her slightly dizzy and for a moment she thought she was going to throw up.

"Janie. You ok?" asked Frankie. "You look a little pale."

"Yah Frankie. I just got a little dizzy when I pushed my chair back. Give me a minute and I'll be ok." She willed her stomach to settle and swallowed down the bile that threatened to creep up her throat.

"I'm ready." she said to Frankie. "Let me just run down stairs and tell Maura that I'm going home. I'll meet you at the car in five."

"Ok Janie but five minutes and not a minute more." he called to her back as she disappeared into the stairwell.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

At 5pm, Jane started pacing the floor and checking her watch every ten seconds or so. "Come on Maura. Where are you?" Jane had thought of nothing but their kiss and embrace ever since she had gotten home and couldn't wait for Maura to come home so they could pick back up.

Crunch of tires on gravel, the slam of a car door, the unmistakable sound of heels clicking on the concrete walkway, and the opening of the front door. This is what Jane had been waiting for. She raced to the front door and barely gave Maura time to set down her purse when she grabbed her and planted a deep, passionate kiss firmly on her lips.

"Well. Hello to you too!" Maura said, breathless as she shrugged out of her coat. "Missed me, did you?"

"You have no idea." said Jane in an even huskier voice than usual.

"Well then, let's do something about it." said Maura as she grabbed Jane's hand and led her up the stairs and into the bedroom.

They tumbled onto the bed in a tight embrace, neither woman able to touch the other quite enough. Before long, seams were being torn and clothes were littering the immaculate bedroom. They were both lost in the touch and feel of the other. Kissed were trailed down necks and onto breasts with the occasional gasp as one would take the others nipple into her mouth and suck.

Everything was going wonderful until Maura slipped her hand between Jane's legs and touched her.

Jane immediately stiffened.

Breathless, Maura asked "Jane. Did I do something wrong?"

Tears welled in the brunette's eyes.

"Jane. What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry Maura. I don't think I can do this tonight." She turned her face away from Maura so she wouldn't have to see the disappointment in the blonde's eyes.

"Jane, honey, look at me."

Jane shook her head 'no'.

"Honey. It's alright."

"No it isn't." said Jane, voice thickened with tears. "I wanted this. I wanted you so bad tonight and.."

"And you had a flashback, didn't you?"

Jane nodded her head. "I'm sorry."

"It will be ok. We just had a preview of what's to come. We'll get there."

"I'm sorry." Jane repeated.

Maura pulled her closer and felt the wet of Jane's tears on her neck and chest.

"We'll work through this, Jane. I promise."

She felt Jane nod then relax against her. She pulled up the duvet from the end of the bed and covered them both. Then they fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms, Maura praying that Jane would be able to work through the demons that haunted her.


	9. Chapter 9

Maura woke up about an hour, alone, sheets cold beside her. Slipping out of bed and dressing in a t-shirt and lounge pants, she went downstairs in search of Jane. The house lights were out with the only light being the blue-gray of dusk as it filtered through the windows.

"Jane?" Maura asked. "Are you here?"

"I'm here." came the familiar voice from the floor, somewhere in the vicinity of the couch.

"Why are you sitting on the floor and why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Um. I guess I didn't realize it was getting dark."

"What have you been doing? Why didn't you waken me?"

"I don't know. I guess I just needed some time alone. I needed some time to think."

"Were you thinking about what happened earlier?" asked the blonde as she sat on the floor beside the brunette.

"Ha! More like what didn't happen." said Jane, disgusted.

"I told you, Jane. It's alright."

"But we haven't had sex in almost three months!"

"I'll admit that it has been difficult but I'm willing to wait for as long as it takes for you to be comfortable having sex again."

"I know you are. That's why I needed to think." She set her untouched mug of peppermint tea on the coffee table with a thunk. She took both of Maura's hands in hers and said "I think I want to see that friend of yours."

"Which friend would that be?"

"That hypnosis, shrinky friend of yours. The one who will put me under and make me remember everything that happened."

"Oh. You mean Dr. Meyer, the forensic psychologist."

"That's the one."

"Are you sure you want to go through that? Relive the event, I mean."

"No. I don't but I think that's the only way I'm going to be able to move on, um, sexually." Jane blushed but it was too dark for Maura to notice.

"How about I try and set up a session for you tomorrow, after work?"

"The sooner the better."

"Good. Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving. Are you hungry?"

"I think I could eat but I'm not sure if junior will allow me or not." Jane said with a slight laugh.

Maura got up and turned on lights as she headed for the kitchen. She turned to ask Jane what she'd like for supper and noticed she wasn't behind her. Confused and concerned, she headed back into the living area and said "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure." Jane said as she winced and held her lower stomach. "I went to get up and got a pain right here." She showed Maura the spot.

Concerned, Maura asked "Are you still having it?"

"No. It went away shortly after it began. I guess it caught me off guard. Maybe I sat here too long. Do you think you could help me up?"

Maura helped Jane to her feet, watching her with the eyes of a trained medical professional all the while. "Any more pains?"

"No. Just that one time. Weird."

"You were probably experiencing a muscle pain that is associated with your expanding uterus."

"God Maura. Must we talk about this before we eat. I already have enough trouble keeping things down."

"I was just letting you know that you could, from time to time, experience sensations like that as your uterus grows and your abdominal muscles stretch to accommodate the needs of a growing fetus."

Realizing that Maura was only trying to help, Jane said "I see. Thanks. Do you think that's all it was?"

"I think but if you're concerned, we can go to the hospital and have you checked out."

"No. I feel fine. Let's eat."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning they awoke to the alarm clock buzzing away at 6am.

Maura rolled onto her side to face Jane as Jane threw her arms over her head and stretched.

"Oh my god!" said Maura, eyes popping.

"What?" asked Jane.

"Look!" said Maura as she pointed to Jane's stomach. "You popped!"

"I what?" asked Jane, looking at the newly rounded mound on her abdomen that, only yesterday, had been flat.

"You popped!"

"Will you please stop saying that?"

"That must have been why you had that pain last night." said Maura excitedly.

"Great!" moaned Jane. "Now I'm going to _have_ to tell everyone."

"Not necessarily." said Maura, cogs turning. "I think , with a strategic wardrobe, we'll be able to hide it a bit longer."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Come on. Let's take a shower." said Maura with a twinkle in her eye. She loved it when they showered together _and_ she couldn't wait to wash Jane's newly formed baby bump.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Maura endured Jane's whining about her clothes not fitting from the time they got out of the shower and Jane discovered that her pants wouldn't button until they entered the BPD building. She complained because her shirt wasn't tucked in and again because her pants wouldn't button but most of all, she complained because her bras were too little. This last part didn't bother Maura in the least. She liked Jane's new chest. Finally, even with the distraction of Jane's new boobs, Maura had enough and tactfully told Jane to stop whining and that they would go shopping for some new clothes after work.

This thrilled Jane, who normally had an aversion to clothes shopping, until she remembered and said "What about my appointment with Dr. Shrinky-thing?"

Maura rolled her eyes and asked "Do you mean Dr. Meyer?"

"Yah, him. What about that?"

"I haven't talked with him yet but if he can see you today we'll go and see him then go shopping after that, if you're up to it."

Jane shrugged and said "Ok but call me as soon as you talk to him."

"I will." promised Maura.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Dr. Meyer was able to see Jane at 2pm. Maura left work early, citing the need to take Jane to her doctor's appointment and pointing out that Jane was not yet cleared to drive. Maura waited for the hive to appear but they didn't because this, technically, was not a lie.

They rode in silence, Jane fidgeting the whole time.

When they finally arrived at his office, Maura said to Jane "You know it's not too late to cancel the appointment. We can reschedule another day, if you want."

"As much as I don't want to do this, Maura, I have to. This might be the only way I can get this monkey off my back. The only way we will be able to move ahead with our lives. I'm doing this as much for you as I'm doing it for me. I love you, Maura Dorothea Isles, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Maura, taken back by Jane's rare expression of love, grasped the brunette's hand and said "I love you too, Jane Clementine Rizzoli, and I also want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Smiling, Jane said "Did we just propose to each other?"

Maura thought a minute and said "Yes. I think we did." Her smile equaling that of Jane's.

They kissed each other, right there in the parking lot, with a kiss that let the other know their bond was sealed forever. The kiss didn't seem long enough to either woman but they knew they had something pressing to do. Something that neither wanted to but knew was necessary.

Pulling back from Maura with reluctance, Jane said, eyes glistening, "Knowing that you're mine for the rest of my life, makes what I'm about to do seem bearable. Let's do this thing."

They walked hand in hand across the lot and into the building with hearts and confidences renewed and demons, they were determined to tackle.


	10. Chapter 10

Dr. Meyer got Jane settled on the couch in his office and gave her a set of relaxation exercises to work on so the hypnosis would take effect faster and more efficiently. He went to make sure the recording equipment was working since they decided to record the session as evidence against Casey, once the BPD apprehended him.

A very anxious Maura met him outside his office door. She rapidly said "There's no chance anything is going to happen to her during this session, is there?"

"Whatever do you mean, Dr. Isles?" asked Dr. Meyer.

"I mean she won't get hurt, will she?"

"Is there something I need to know about? Some medical condition I am unaware of?"

"About six weeks ago she suffered a severe head trauma, complete with a concussion and two scalp lacerations requiring sixteen sutures in all."

Dr. Meyer's eyes widened. "Thank you for telling me. I will use extra precautions to prevent any further head trauma to the good detective."

"There is one other thing, Dr. Meyer."

"And that would be?"

"Detective Rizzoli is approximately three months pregnant. A pregnancy which resulted from her sexual assault."

"Oh dear." said Dr. Meyer. "Thank you for this information." He paused, thought a moment, then said "I best be going or Detective Rizzoli will begin wondering what has become of me." He smiled at Maura before entering the office.

"Detective Rizzoli, how are you doing with the relaxation exercises?" he asked.

"Not bad Doc and please call me Jane."

"Very well, Jane. Do you have any questions for me before we begin?"

"Actually, I do." Jane chewed her bottom lip then said, "This is safe, isn't it? There's no chance that I or someone else will get hurt during this, is there?" Her hand unconsciously traveled downward and stopped in a protective gesture over her small (but visible when she was lying down) bump.

Dr. Meyer recognized the protective gesture but didn't let on that he noticed. He merely smiled and said "I will make sure that You and everyone else will remain safe throughout this session."

Jane gave him a half-smile and said "Ok Doc. I'm ready. Let's do this."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane, being such a willing subject, hypnotized easily. Dr. Meyer put her through a series of questions he asked to all his hypnosis patients to ensure they were completely under. Once satisfied she was under, Dr. Meyer began the session.

"Are you or are you not Jane Rizzoli, Homicide Detective with the Boston Police Department?"

"Yes. I am."

"Did you or did you not have a traumatic event occur in your life approximately twelve weeks ago? It's alright for you to take time and think back."

Jane thought for a moment, brow furrowing in thought, then said "Yes. I did."

"I would like for you to tell me about it. Start at the beginning and tell me the whole story. Can you do that for me, Jane?"

Jane hesitated then said "Yes. I can tell you what happened."

"Please, begin."

"I was home alone on a Friday night because Maura, my partner, was out of town at a Medical Examiner's conference. I didn't feel like staying in so I went to our favorite pub, The Dirty Robber. I figured I would have a drink or two and maybe shoot some pool before going home." Jane took a deep breath then continued on, "I was sitting there, having my first beer, when a guy I knew from high school sat down next to me."

"Do you know the name of the guy who sat next to you, Jane?"

"Yes. It was Casey Jones. We went to high school together then he went into the Army. I hadn't seen him for several years."

"What happened after he sat down beside you, Jane?"

"We started talking and he asked if he could buy me a beer. I told him that I was involved with someone and wasn't sure it would be appropriate."

"Did he ask who you were involved with?"

"Yes. He did and I told him that I was involved with Maura and that things were getting very serious between us."

"How did he respond to that?"

"He just said that he figured I would end up a lesbian because I was such a tomboy in school. Then he said that he'd still like to buy me a beer, as a friend. I agreed and we continued to talk. I went to the bathroom and came back to find another beer at my place. I asked Casey about it and he said 'One more won't hurt, will it?'. I wasn't feeling drunk or anything so I said 'This one then no more.'." Jane stopped talking and drew her eyebrows together.

"What is it, Jane?" Dr. Meyer asked. "What are you remembering? Please tell me."

"As I was drinking that last beer, I remember things starting to get fuzzy around the edges. My head felt like it wasn't attached to me anymore. I told Casey that I needed to leave and he said he was leaving too and would walk out with me. My legs and felt like they were made of lead and that it was getting really hot in the pub."

"Then what?" probed Dr. Meyer.

"The air outside was really cold and things got a little clearer for a bit then they started to fade again. I remember Casey telling me that I was in no condition to drive and that he would take me home." Jane's brow furrowed again.

"What is it, Jane?"

"Casey didn't know where I lived and I tried to tell him that but he wouldn't listen. He put me in a car and drove me to a motel."

"What happened at the motel?"

"When we got there, I couldn't walk and Casey carried me to his room. He threw me down on the sidewalk while he unlocked the door then he...he..."

"He did what?"

"He dragged me into his room. I remember it hurt when he pulled me through the doorway and I tried to tell him but I couldn't say anything." She swallowed hard.

"What did he do then?"

"He picked me up and threw me on the bed, then he started to take my clothes off. I tried to tell him to stop but I couldn't. He just kept touching me and taking more of my clothes off of me. I wanted him to stop. STOP! PLEASE STOP." Jane yelled and let out a little sob.

"It's alright, Jane. You're safe here with me." Dr. Meyer reassured her.

"I was naked. I didn't want to be naked, especially with him. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with Maura. He wouldn't stop touching me!" Tears were rolling down Jane's face as she yelled "STOP TOUCHING ME!"

"Jane." Dr. Meyer said softly. "He isn't here. He can't hurt you. Please continue with your story."

"He took his clothes off and I saw that he had an erection. I knew what he was going to do and I didn't want him to touch me. I kept screaming 'MAURA. PLEASE HELP ME MAURA! HE'S GOING TO RAPE ME! Then he took his penis and started rubbing it over me. I wanted to puke. I kept screaming NO and I tried to move, to get him away from me but I couldn't." Jane was openly weeping now but Dr. Meyer didn't say anything, let her continue. "He...he...he shoved it into me. It hurt so bad. I wanted to die. I remember him saying 'I bet your lesbian bitch can't fuck you like this, can she, de-tec-tive.'" Jane became so overwrought that she began calling out Maura's name.

Hearing Jane screaming, yet again, Maura raced into the office. "Jane? Jane. I'm here." Tears streaming down her face.

Dr. Meyer jumped up from his seat and grabbed Maura before she could touch Jane. "I know it's difficult, Dr. Isles, but you must let her go. You must let her get through this. You may stay if you like but you must not interfere."

Jane continued to cry and call Maura's name until Dr. Meyer said "What happened after he entered you?

Maura thought she was going to be sick, having to hear what Jane went through.

"He kept moving inside me, harder and harder until he finally came. I thought it was finally over but he slapped me across the face and said 'That is for being a fucking dyke' then slapped me again and said 'That is for just laying there and making me do all the work, you worthless bitch and you call yourself a detective.'" Jane was sobbing harder now.

"Did he do anything else after he raped you, Jane?"

"He stood there and masturbated on me." Jane started heaving. "It (heave) was (heave) so..."

"Dr. Meyer!" Maura cut in. "She's going to vomit."

Seeing that Jane was heaving and swallowing hard, he knew that Maura was right and simultaneously brought Jane out of her hypnotic state and shoved the trash can under her chin just as she vomited spectacularly into the trash. She threw up a few more times then laid back onto the couch and cried. She cried as hard as she had in the hospital the day Dr. Carter had told her she was pregnant.

Maura went to her and enveloped her in an embrace. Jane didn't stiffen or push Maura away as she was afraid she might do. Instead, she buried her face in Maura's neck and cried.

Jane got herself under control enough to say to Maura "It was awful. So awful. Why did he do that to me?"

Maura, throat thick with tears, didn't respond right away. Finally she said to Jane, "Does it feel better knowing what happened? I know it had to be horrible for you but at least you now know."

"It only makes me want to hunt that bastard down and destroy him!" Jane said, voice deadly.

"Good!" said Maura, voice equally as deadly. "Let's find the bastard!"

Maura helped Jane off Dr. Meyer's couch and to the door because she was so shaky from the session.

As they were walking through the door, Jane turned and said "Thank you, Dr. Meyer. I think you've given us our lives back."

Jane turned back to Maura and, even though she knew she threw up and must have horrible breath, kissed her on the cheek and said "Thank you, too, for sticking by me and for helping me through this."

"Always." was her response and she returned the kiss.

"Please, take me home." said Jane and then Jane shot Maura a seductive smile.

Maura couldn't get them home fast enough.


	11. Chapter 11

Jane and Maura were speeding their way back to Beacon Hill when Maura slowed the car.

"What are you doing, Maur?" Jane asked.

"Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"This. You and me. Us, tonight. Are you sure? You've just relived the worst trauma of your life that involved a sexual crime. Are you sure you want to go home and...?"

"Yes!" said Jane, jaw set and eyes full of determination. "I realized, in the doctor's office, that I'm not going to let that son of a bitching rat bastard take away any more of my life. I've decided that I'm the one who chooses what I will and will not do, not him and tonight I've decided I want you!"

Maura was rendered momentarily speechless by Jane's proclamation. She took a few moments more to absorb what Jane said and the conviction with which she said it before speaking.

"You are one stubborn and determined woman, Jane Rizzoli."

"Thank you, I guess." said Jane.

"Trust me, Jane, it was a compliment."

Jane smiled a huge, double dimpled smile at Maura.

"If at any point tonight things become too overwhelming for you, please tell me. I don't want you to feel like you are being forced into this. You know that I love you and am willing to wait as long as it takes for you to be ready."

"Thanks Maura." Jane said as she reached over and took Maura's hand. "I know you will wait and not push me and that makes me love you even more. Please understand that I _want_ to do this, _have _to do this. By being intimate with you tonight, I feel like I will be able to get that monkey almost completely off my back."

"Alright, Jane, but remember..." Jane cut her off.

"I know, just say when and you will stop."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Maura continued to drive home at the slower pace to give Jane more time to consider her plans for the evening. They even stopped off at one of their favorite restaurants and Jane was able to eat some roasted chicken and a small salad without throwing up...big improvement. The clock was ticking and Maura was running out of reasons to delay their return home. She pointed the car toward Beacon Hill, to home, and to whatever the night held for them.

When they got out of the car, Maura hung back some and allowed Jane to take the lead. She had made her own decision, and even though she had been anxious at first to race home and throw Jane in bed and have sex until they both went blind, she was going to let Jane set the pace and activities of the evening.

"Come on, Maur." Jane said as she rounded the front of the car and held her hand out for Maura's. "Is there something wrong? You've been acting a bit odd ever since the restaurant."

"I'm fine, Jane, just a little bit tired. The session at the doctor's office kind of wiped me out."

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry, Maura. I was so focused on feeling liberated from that hold the bastard had on me that I never gave it a thought as to how you were feeling."

"I feel so happy for you. I know you wanted, needed to know what happened. I'm just tired, that's all."

"How much of the session did you sit in on?"

"Enough to know that you went through a terrible ordeal that I can't help but feel responsible for."

"You? How would you be responsible? Casey's the asshole that did it, not you."

"Maybe if you hadn't been with me, he wouldn't have felt the need to drug then rape you."

Jane held up both hands to stop Maura.

"Maura." Jane said. "Casey is the only one who is responsible for what happened. He made a conscious decision to attack me, then he followed through on that decision. I don't want you, for an instant, to think that you had anything to do with it."

Maura let out the breath she had been holding and raised up on her toes to give Jane's cheek a quick kiss. "Thank you, Jane. I was afraid that you might have some resentment for me harboring somewhere in your subconscious."

"First off," said Jane, "I have no idea what you just said and second the only person who I am harboring resentment for is Casey." She returned the kiss.

They stood, looking at each other for a few moments, then Jane said "Come on. Let's go inside. It's getting cold out here and I could really use a cuddle session with my personal physician."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

They opted to take things slower than Jane's original plan of ripping Maura's clothes off the moment they walked in the door and decided that cuddling on the couch with some candles burning and maybe a rom-com would be a good way to start. They gathered some snacks and flutes of sparkling apple juice and settled on the couch. Maura was leaning back against Jane because they didn't know how long they would be able to snuggle like this before Jane's belly got too big.

The evening began innocently enough with talking and the occasional stolen kiss or two. Things began to change when Jane reached around Maura and started massaging her breasts. Maura was instantly wet. She has to use all of her restraint to not flip over and rip Jane's clothes off of her.

Maura let out an involuntary moan that made Jane's heart pound.

Jane got bolder and slipped her hand inside Maura's blouse and, finding the front clasp, unhooked Maura's bra.

Maura reached back and tried to touch Jane, to bring her face closer for a kiss. Jane obliged and, without breaking the kiss, slid out from under Maura and straddled her. The kiss deepened and Maura felt Jane's tongue slip inside her mouth. Maura responded by allowing her tongue to dance with Jane's.

This time it was Jane that let out the moan.

Jane broke the kiss and sat up, breathless and taking in the wonderful woman that lay beneath her. Maura began unbuttoning her own blouse then took Jane's hands and placed them on her exposed breasts. At Jane's soft touch, Maura's nipples became hard as stones and she thought she would die of pleasure when Jane took one and then the other into her mouth and began sucking and lightly nipping at them.

Maura didn't know how much longer she would be able to maintain her composure and think rational thoughts. She found that she was bucking her hips up and against Jane to try and find a release. She must have bucked once too often because Jane released her nipple and had her head resting against Maura's chest.

"What is it, Jane? Did I do something wrong? You just got me so..."

"No Maura. I guess I'm still a little...gun shy."

Maura didn't want their evening to end like this so she took a hold of the front of Jane's blouse and pulled her face down to meet her own. She kissed Jane passionately and deeply. Then they broke the kiss, she looked at the front of Jane's blouse and said "May I?"

Hesitant but sure that Maura would do nothing to harm her, Jane whispered "Yes."

Jane laid back and allowed Maura to gently open each button of her blouse. When she reached the bottom, Maura planted a kiss on the bump then laid a trail of kisses up Jane's torso to her breasts. She gently released the clasp on Jane's bra and kissed each of Jane's enormous breasts before taking one nipple then the other into her mouth and giving the same pleasure that she had been given only moments ago.

Jane's breathing increased to almost a pant. Concerned, Maura said "Are you alright?"

"Yes!" came the lusty response. "Yes."

Jane began moving her hips against Maura. Maura wasn't sure what to do so she began moving with Jane. When Maura was near to bursting, Jane let out a moan of satisfaction and Maura allowed herself to peak shortly after. The two women laid side by side on the couch, panting and holding each other.

"That was wonderful!" Maura panted as she pulled Jane in closer.

"Even though we had our clothes on?" inquired Jane, just as breathless.

"Yes, even though we had our clothes on." said Maura. She couldn't remember when she had felt so satisfied.

Maura pulled an afghan down from the back of the couch to cover them. Before she pulled it up to their chins, she kissed Jane on the shoulder and whispered in her ear "I love you, Jane Clementine Rizzoli."

Jane didn't hear. She had fallen asleep, wrapped in the warmth and love of Maura's embrace.

Maura fell asleep shortly after.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Thank you all for reading and sticking with me this far through the story. I appreciate all the support you have shown me.**

**I can't take credit for the characters of Jane and Maura. That honor and privilege goes to Tess Gerritsen, their creator. Thank you, Tess for creating two wonderful women for us to rally around. **

**The story is far from over. You never know how the muse will inspire. Thank you again.**

**Oh, 'GUEST'...up yours!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Four weeks later_

"Maura!" Jane whined as she was getting ready for her first day back on the streets. "Come help me."

"What's the ma...?" Maura started to ask then froze as she entered their bedroom to find Jane sprawled on the bed with her pants gaping open.

"They won't button!"

Maura stifled a snicker as she noted the look of distress on Jane's face and went over to see if she could help. "Hummmm." Maura said as she tried, in vain, to make the two edges of Jane's pants meet, "I...don't think this is going to work, Jane." she said sympathetically.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Jane as she pulled a pillow over her face. "This is my first day back on the streets and my pants don't fit! What am I going to do."

Overnight, or so it seemed, Jane's bump had become a small mound and there was no time to go and buy new clothes before heading to work.

"Maura!" she whined again.

Maura, trying very hard not to laugh, came up with a solution. "We can loop this rubber band through the button hole of your pants and stretch it across and hook it on the button. That should be enough to keep them from falling down." She hesitated then said, "You know, Jane, we really should let everyone know about your pregnancy. Pretty soon it's going to make itself evident, whether you want people to know or not."

Jane stood up and allowed Maura to test her rubber band theory which, much to Jane's elation, worked. "I know Maura. I'm just afraid that when we do let them know, I'll be put back on desk duty. I _really_ hate desk duty. I'm hoping junior gives me a couple more weeks before I have to spill the beans." Jane made quotation marks with her fingers on that last part then added, "I'm just glad the puking stopped. I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to use the concussion excuse."

Shortly after Jane's session with Dr. Meyer her pregnancy sickness as they began to call it because it wasn't just confined to the morning, had mercifully stopped and she was able to eat most anything she wanted without repercussion. Spicy foods, one of her favorites, still gave her problems and she decided the joy of eating them was not worth the price she would pay later and decided to forgo them for the rest of her pregnancy.

Maura, always thinking ahead, handed Jane several more rubber bands and said "Keep these in your pocket, you know, just in case."

Jane looked at them, nodded in agreement, shoved them in her pocket, and said "Good thinking."

They arrived at BPD headquarters with twenty minutes to spare. They left at the same time as always but because Jane, who was now allowed to drive, drove much faster than Maura got them there much quicker.

"I'm going to stop at the Division One." Jane said to Maura as they entered the building. "Want anything?"

"Thanks but no." Maura said politely. "Are you hungry again? We just ate before we left home?"

Jane blushed and said sheepishly, "Yah. I'm a little hungry plus I need a coffee and I want to say hi to Ma."

Maura gave her a look.

"Yes. I will get a decaf, Captain Killjoy."

"It's not you I'm worried about." said Maura. "It's the bab..."

"Shhhhh!" said Jane as she looked around with eyes as large as dinner plates. "Geez, Maur, someone could have heard you."

"Ok. OK!" said Maura. "I'll be in the morgue if you need me. Tell Angela I said hi."

Jane went to kiss Maura bye then thought better of it. No one knew of their relationship, that they were aware of, and she didn't want to get tongues waggling.

"Um, yah. I'll call you later, for lunch."

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and Jane."

"What's up Maur?"

"Be safe."

"I will." she shot Maura one of those famous Jane Rizzoli double dimpled smiles.

"Both of you." Maura mouthed then entered the elevator to the basement.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Around 11am, they received a call about a possible murder with a potential suspect still on the premises. Jane was eager to go and grabbed her Glock from her desk drawer and snapped it into place on her left hip. Man it felt good to feel the weight of her trusty sidearm on her hip again.

"I'll drive." said Frankie as they headed out the front doors of the BPD.

Jane was so eager to get back into the action that she didn't object to Frankie driving. In fact, she didn't even object to riding in the back as Frankie and Korsak claimed the front two seats.

Frankie had barely stopped the car before Jane sprang out of it. So eager to get to the scene, she had forgotten the new rule that every officer was required to wear a vest.

"Jane." called Korsak. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Jane looked back to see him holding up her Kevlar vest. Jane groaned and doubled back for the offensive thing.

"Do I _have_ to wear it, Vince?" she whined. It was true that she hated wearing the cumbersome thing but in having to wear it she would be forced to remove her jacket, her greatest baby-mound hiding barrier.

"Afraid so." said Korsak. "Lieutenant Cavanaugh's rule. Sorry."

She snatched the vest from Korsak and turned her back to both him and Frankie as she took off her jacket. After much loosening of the straps and swearing, Jane secured the vest and put her jacket back on. "Ready." was all she said.

They approached the scene with caution, Korsak in the lead. When they got to the door of the abandoned building, Korsak motioned for Frankie to take the opposite side of the door and for Jane to fall in behind him. They quickly and quietly opened the door and entered. Korsak went to the left, Frankie to the right, and Jane took the center. They continued this pattern as they wove themselves deeper into the building. All of a sudden, Jane noticed something on the floor about twenty yards in front of her.

"Hey guys." she said. "I think I found our vic. Cover me while I go check it out."

Frankie and Korsak fell in behind her as she moved toward the body.

Jane reached down and pressed two fingers to the side of the victim's throat. Nothing. "This one's definitely dead." she said as she straightened back up.

Just then, the sound of a gun being cocked was heard. Jane had hardly moved toward a pillar for cover when a bullet smashed into the wall, precisely behind the spot she had just vacated. She heard footsteps moving at a rapid pace away from her. Without thinking about her safety or the safety of the baby she carried, Jane took off after the shooter.

The shooter was ascending the staircase rapidly with Jane hot on his heels and Frankie following close behind her. How far had they gone up 4-5-6 flights, Jane didn't know. All she knew was that this creep was on the run and that she needed to stop him.

They reached the top of the staircase and noticed a door, straight ahead, was ajar. Jane, breathing very heavily, motioned for Frankie to move ahead of her. He gave her a quizzical look but she scowled and, again, motioned for him to take the lead. The stitch in her side would not let up and it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe. She was afraid she might pass out.

Frankie pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof. There was the sound of a gun shot and the pinging of a bullet off the metal frame of the building not far from where Frankie's had been only seconds ago.

Jane, controlling her breathing enough that she was now able to move, went out the door to cover her brother. "Boston (gasp) Police (gasp) Department (gasp)" she said as she stepped onto the roof and into the blazing sunlight.

"Janie get down!" Frankie yelled as a bullet whizzed past her ear and stuck in the side of the building.

Jane crouched down and panned her gun from side to side in the hopes that she would be able to locate the shooter and get off a clean shot but her heart was pounding so hard and her breathing was so labored that she felt it would be a miracle if she would be able to bring him down. She just hoped that she fit enough to get her and Frankie out of this alive.

_Ping. Ping. Ping. _The bullets rained all around them.

"Frankie." gasped Jane. "Can you see him?" What was wrong with her? She couldn't seem to catch her breath.

"Yah, Janie. I can see him."

"Take the shot."

BOOM!

Frankie felled the shooter with one shot.

Darkness closed in around Jane and she awoke, a few seconds later, to Frankie's voice calling her name.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same." he said. "What's going on Janie?"

"Nothing." she lied. "Help me up, would you."

Frankie helped her to her feet then grabbed her as her knees went to buckle.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Frankie asked.

"Yah. Yah. I'm fine. I think it was just all the excitement. You know, the adrenaline rush and I got a little light-headed."

"Right..." said Frankie. "I'm taking you down and letting the medics take a look at you."

"Come on, Frankie. I feel fine."

"Not buying it, Jane. If I let go of you, you'll be on the ground. You can't even stand up on your own and your breathing sounds like a locomotive on it's last leg. Let's go."

After Jane received a few hits from the oxygen mask and drank a bottle of Gatorade, she started feeling much better. Shouldn't have skipped lunch she thought as she was mentally kicking herself for her stupidity. Almost blew it the first day out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Rizzoli!" bellowed Cavanaugh's voice from his office the moment the arrived back at headquarters. "Get in here, now!"

Not knowing who he wanted, both Jane and Frankie stood up and started to the office.

"Just girl Rizzoli." he bellowed.

Frankie immediately stopped and went back to his desk as Jane walked, like a prisoner headed for the gallows, to Cavanaugh's office.

"You wanted to see me, Lieu?" she said as she poked her head into the doorway.

"Yah. Come in and sit down. Close the door. While you're at it."

Closing the door was never a good sigh and Jane wondered what she had done wrong. She did as she was told then sat down.

"I understand you needed some medical attention after the incident today." Cavanaugh was never one to beat around the bush. He was a straight shooter and Jane appreciated that.

"Aaah. Yah. I just needed a couple hits of O2 but it was nothing."

"From what I was told, it was more than nothing. I heard you couldn't catch your breath and Frankie had to practically drag you to the ambulance."

"It wasn't that bad, really. I just got winded. I'm fine now."

"You sure, Rizzoli?"

"Yah, why?"

"You just look like you've put on a few pounds and I want to be sure you're still fit for duty."

Oops...shit. Thought Jane as she quickly concocted a story. "You're right, Lieu. I have put on a little weight. It's from all of that desk duty I had to do."

"Alright, Rizzoli, but I expect you to get back into shape ASAP."

Come on Jane, she thought. Confession time. "Actually Lieu...I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?" was all he had to say.


	13. Chapter 13

"You're what?" Cavanaugh said again.

"I'm pregnant." Jane repeated.

"How did that happen?"

Jane just gave him a _well, duh_ look.

"I know how but who? I thought you and Dr. Isles were..." Cavanaugh trailed off.

"What? How did you? Oh, never mind." Jane said, face flaming red.

"I've heard some talk. Are you? Together, I mean."

"Yah, Lieu. Maura and I are together but we aren't letting that bit of info out, just yet."

"If you and Dr. Isles are together, who is the...oh shit, Jane." Cavanaugh had seen the taped session with Dr. Meyer and knew what Jane had gone through. It turned his stomach whenever he thought about it.

"Yah. That's when it happened."

"That bastard! That fucking, no good bastard!" Cavanaugh ranted.

"I know, Lieu. I want to castrate him. I want to rip his dick right off so he can't do this to anyone else."

"So, you're keeping it, Rizzoli?"

"Maura and I have talked. Yah. We're keeping it."

"You are one hell of a woman, Jane. I don't know of too many other women who would carry and keep the child of the man who raped her."

Jane flinched at his last statement. It was still a sensitive topic to her but she was finding constructive ways of dealing with it.

"Thanks. I (and Maura) feel that it's not the baby's fault. There is no reason for it to be punished for the _sins of it's father."_ Jane made finger quotes.

"When are you due?"

"November."

"You know that I'm going to have to put you back on desk duty again, soon."

Shaking her head and looking down at her feet, Jane said "That's what I was afraid of." She then looked at Cavanaugh and said "Please let me stay out in the field. I'll wear a vest. I promise."

Cavanaugh let out a big sigh to let Jane know that he knew this was coming and said, "I'll let you out in the field a while longer on two conditions."

"Those are?" Jane asked with eagerness.

"First, you _will_ wear a vest at all times and second, you will return to desk duty the moment the vests don't fit around you anymore. Got it?"

Smiling, Jane said "Got it and thanks Lieu."

"Yah, yah." Cavanaugh said with a slight smirk. "Don't make me regret letting you out there."

"I promise. Oh, no one else knows about this. I'm just not ready to let it be known yet."

"You better hurry and get ready. You're not going to be able to hide it much longer."

"Geez. Now you're starting to sound like Maura." Jane flashed that signature Rizzoli smile at him.

"Ummm. There's one other thing, Jane."

Jane noted his use of her first name and became very nervous. Lieutenant Cavanaugh rarely, if ever, called her by her first name. It was usually either Rizzoli or Girl Rizzoli. Sucking in a deep and (hopefully) calming breath, Jane said "What's up?"

"It's about Jones."

Jane broke out in a cold sweat and must have went instantly pale because Cavanaugh jumped up from his chair and hurried to put his arm around her shoulders.

"What about him?" Jane asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"He's been sighted around the area. At least they think it's him."

"Oh." Jane said, shaking enough that Cavanaugh could feel it.

"Are you alright?" he asked with fatherly concern.

"Um, I, um." Jane stammered. "I, um, think I might need some water."

Cavanaugh opened the door of his office and yelled for someone to bring a bottle of water to his office right away then hurried back to his detective. He pulled a chair up beside her, sat down, and held her hand.

Frankie appeared in the doorway moments later and, seeing Jane sitting there in obvious distress, said "Here you go Lieu. Need anything else?" His eyes never left his sister as he spoke.

Hearing her brother's voice, Jane looked up and tried to give him a reassuring smile as she said in a cracked voice "Thanks Frankie. I just needed a drink."

Cavanaugh said "Thanks Rizzoli. I'll call if I need anything else. How about shutting the door on your way out, ok?"

"Sure, Lieu." His concerned gaze still on his sister. "Janie. You ok?"

"Yah, Frankie. I'm fine." She again tried to smile. "Thanks."

As Frankie turned to leave and shut the door, he thought _ok my ass. You're far from ok, Jane._ Frankie knew his sister well enough that she wouldn't show any signs of weakness, even if it killed her.

In the mean time, Jane tried to take the lid off the water bottle but her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't. Seeing her struggle, Cavanaugh wordlessly took the bottle from her, removed the cap, and handed it back to her.

"Thanks." Jane murmured in a hushed voice and nearly spilled water over herself as she tried to take a drink.

"Are you going to be alright, Jane, going out into the field and knowing he's in the area? I can put you on desk detail today, if you want."

Jane swallowed the little bit of water she managed to get into her mouth then said, "I'll be alright. It just was a shock to hear he was around. I'd like nothing more than to be the one who arrests the bastard."

"That won't be possible, Rizzoli."

"Why?"

"Because you are the victim. You can't be part of the arrest or interrogation."

"You mean that I can't question him at all?"

"Afraid not."

"Shit!"

"You will, however, be able to testify against him. That's where you'll make your voice heard. When we do catch the bastard, I'll make sure you get your chance to talk at his arraignment."

"Thanks, Lieu. At least I'll get to do something."

Cavanaugh smiled and nodded at her.

Jane's shaking seemed to be subsiding and she seemed to be getting a grip on her emotions. She was feeling like she would be able to get up now and asked, "Ok if I go?"

"Sure. If you're ready."

"I think I am. Is it alright if I take five and go down and talk to Maura?"

"Sure, Rizzoli. I hit you with a curve ball. Take as much time as you need." He gave her a fatherly pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks." she said as she headed for the elevators that would take her to the one place and the one person who would make her feel safe and secure, even if only temporarily.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Maura saw Jane get off the elevator and knew something was wrong. Jane was pale as a ghost and appeared to have just wiped tears from her cheeks. Maura crossed the autopsy suite and opened the door to greet her best friend and lover.

"Jane." Maura said, trying to hide her concern at Jane's appearance. "Is it lunchtime already?" Maura didn't know what else to say.

"Can we go in your office and talk?" Jane asked in an uncharacteristically subdued voice.

"Of course." Maura said as she grasped Jane's ice-cold hand and led her into the office. "What's wrong?"

Jane sat on the couch and motioned for Maura to sit down beside her. As soon as Maura sat down, Jane grabbed her, leaned her head on Maura's shoulder and started to cry.

Startled by this unusual behavior, Maura asked "What's wrong? Has something happened? Talk to me, Jane. You're scaring me."

"It's him, Maura. It's Casey. They think he's around the area. I'm so scared. What if he comes after me again?"

Maura, not caring if anyone noticed or not, wrapped her arms around Jane, kissed the top of her head, and allowed Jane to cry it out.

After about five minutes, Jane pulled herself together and with her head still on Maura's shoulder said "Thanks. You always make me feel better."

"Of course I'm here for you. I love you."

"I love you too, Maur. What are we going to do?"

"I've been thinking about it all morning. I'm not sure."

Jane lifted her head from Maura's shoulder and said "What do you mean you've been thinking about it all morning? When did you find out? Cavanaugh just told me."

"Oh, well, I saw him this morning and he told me about it. He also asked me not to say anything to you because he wanted to tell you himself. I guess he would have said something earlier but you had that case this morning."

Jane was annoyed that Maura had withheld the information from her but also knew that Maura would never break a promise to the Lieutenant.

"Are you mad at me, Jane?"

"No." said Jane but her voice indicated otherwise. "I'm just upset with the situation. I know you'd never break a promise and I can't be mad at you for that."

Maura smiled at Jane and said "Thank you for that."

Jane frowned and started to say something then stopped.

"What is it, Jane?"

"I told Cavanaugh."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him about you and me _and_ the baby."

Maura, taken aback, said "You did? I thought we were going to tell everyone together?" The hurt look on Maura's face made Jane forget all about her annoyance with the blonde.

"I'm sorry. It just slipped out. He was yelling at me for putting on weight and it slipped out. Do you think I've put on that much?"

Maura stifled a giggle at Jane's question and said "Well, you are looking a little thicker around your middle. After all, you do have a bit of a baby mound started." At the look of horror on Jane's face, she quickly added "But I know every inch of you better than anyone. Of course I would notice something like that."

Jane shook her head in defeat and said "Come on, Maura."

"Where are we going?"

"To tell everyone else. Do you think you can call Ma and ask her to go to the bullpen?"

"Sure. Where are you going?"

"To pee! Where else?"

Both women laughed.


	14. Chapter 14

Jane and Maura were the last to arrive for the meeting they had called in the bullpen.

"Nice of you to show up, Janie." Frankie said as a greeting.

"Shut up, Frankie." Jane retorted.

"Jane!" Angela scolded.

With the Rizzoli family greeting completed, the meeting could now begin.

"I guess you, um, are all wondering why Maura and I asked to meet with all of you." Jane choked out.

Heads nodded all around.

"Well, um...um..." Jane stammered as she leaned against her desk.

Maura moved closer to Jane and slipped an arm around Jane in a show of support.

Jane looked pleadingly at Maura.

Maura pulled her in closer and gave a nod of her head that Jane should continue.

Jane cleared her throat and started again. "I, well we, have a couple things we would like to share with you and we wanted you all here together when we spilled the beans."

"What is it, Janie?" Angela asked, concern etching her face.

"Well. Maura and I are together, like a couple. We have been living together ever since my, um, incident."

"Old news, Rizzoli." said Vince Korsak with a chuckle. "We've known for a while that you and Dr. Isles have had a thing."

Jane went pale and Maura blushed a deep scarlet.

"Were we that obvious?" asked Maura, directing the question to the group in general.

"Not at first but after Janie passed out and was in the hospital, things became a bit clearer." said Frankie.

"Oh." said Maura as she did a double-take when she looked at Jane who was pale as a sheet.

"Jane? Are you alright?" the blonde asked in genuine concern. "Someone get her a chair."

They eased Jane into her desk chair and Maura moved behind the brunette and placed her hands on her shoulders.

Jane reached up and clasped both of Maura's hands with hers then looked up at her and said "I don't think I can tell them."

"Do you want me to?" asked Maura.

"Would you, please?" Jane replied.

Maura nodded then cleared her throat and began to talk. "As you are all aware, Jane went through a horrific incident about four months ago."

Nods all around.

"As the result of that incident, Jane is now, um...um..." Maura couldn't say it either.

"What?" voices chimed in unison.

"I'm pregnant, ok. The bastard got me pregnant." Jane blurted out.

Stunned silence filled the room.

"Oh, Janie." wailed Angela. "Oh, my poor baby." She rushed over and threw her arms around her daughter.

Korsak sat down heavily in his chair and stared at Jane. He didn't know what to say.

Frankie was another story. He was apoplectic with rage. His face had turned so red that it was almost purple and a vein in his forehead was bounding. His fists were clenched around what was left of his coffee cup and his breathing had increased. All of a sudden, he slammed his fist down on the desk. "HE DID WHAT?" Frankie roared.

No one had ever seen Frankie so out of control and, quite frankly, it scared the shit out of everyone.

"Frankie." Jane said in a soothing voice. If anyone could get him to calm down, it would be Jane.

"He got you pregnant?" Frankie asked through clenched teeth. "I'm going to kill that asshole! I'm going to rip his head off and shove it up his ass!"

Angela was now crying even harder and they had to practically peel her off Jane so Jane could go to her brother.

"Frankie. It's alright."

"No it isn't alright, Jane. That mother fucker not only raped you, now he's burdened you with his little bastard."

Jane was taken aback by Frankie's outburst and must have gone colorless once again because Frankie immediately took Jane in his arms and held her tight. Jane began to cry.

"I'm sorry, Janie. I'm sorry." he said as he smoothed her hair and rubbed her back.

"I know it's not alright, Frankie," she sobbed "but it's not the baby's fault."

"You're going to keep it?"

"Yah. Maura and I are going to raise it together. It's _my_ baby Frankie and I want it, regardless of how it came to be."

Jane and Frankie felt another set of arms join in their hug and realized that their mother had come over too. They immediately made room for her.

"Oh, Janie. You've made me so proud. That couldn't have been an easy decision to keep the pregnancy. I am just so proud of you."

"Thanks Ma." Jane said through a throat full of tears. "I love you." She kissed her mother on the forehead.

All of a sudden, they heard a chair slam off a wall. They turned to see Korsak leaning over his desk, hands splayed in front of him and his chair on it's side.

"Vince?" Jane asked as she extricated herself from her family's group hug and walked over to him."What's going on?"

"Do you really have to ask me that?" Korsak said, eyes full of rage. "I saw that video from Dr. Meyer's office. I know what he did to you. I know what you went through and now you have to be reminded every day for the rest of your life what he did, thanks to that kid he stuck you with."

"Vince!" Jane reprimanded. "It's not the baby's fault. It is an innocent. Yes, it's father is the worst piece of scum that walked the earth but it didn't ask to be conceived. I can't kill _my_ child or give it to someone else just because of who it's father it. Please try to understand that." She was crying now and Korsak felt like an asshole for having upset the girl he had always seen as the daughter he never had.

"Oh shit, Jane. I didn't mean it. I'm just so pissed that this happened to you. I love you like you were my own daughter. Come here." He held his arms open and Jane stepped into them for a much needed hug.

Maura had remained silent for most of this meeting. She was fascinated and moved to tears by the dynamic that moved through this extended work family. She was so happy that Jane had such support from her friends and co-workers. She was so proud to be part of it too. She sat on Jane's desk with silent tears rolling down her cheeks as she felt a swell of love for each and every one of these people in front of her.

Jane had been feeling Maura's absence and looked around to find her. Spotting the love of her life sitting alone and crying almost broke her heart and she raced over to embrace the blonde. "Thank you." she whispered huskily in Maura's ear. "I love you so much."

"I love you so much too, Jane." she kissed her, not caring who saw.

Cavanaugh cleared his throat and said "Now that you all know of Jane and Maura's situation, I want to go over our plans to catch the bastard and put him away for a long, long time."

There were nods and grunts of agreement all around.

"Rizzoli." Cavanaugh said.

"Yah Lieu." Frankie said.

"Not you, girl Rizzoli."

"What's up, Lieu?"

"Why don't you and Dr. Isles head to lunch. In fact, take the rest of the day off. I think you both need to go home and unwind a bit."

"No." Jane started to object. "That won't..."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Cavanaugh. That sounds like a wonderful idea." Maura said over Jane's objections. "Angela, would you like to come to lunch with us?"

"Sure, honey. Sure I would."

Maura and Angela got on either side of Jane and, each taking an arm, walked her to the elevator and out of the building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once the women were gone, Cavanaugh turned to Korsak and Frankie and said "We need to catch this bastard and fast. I don't want him out on the streets but I especially don't want him out on the streets where Jane is. No telling what he would do to her again."

Frankie started getting irate all over again.

"Rizzoli!" Cavanaugh said. "You've got to get it together. I know it's your sister but I can't have you going rogue on me because of that. If you can't get it under control, I'll pull you off the case. Do you understand me?" He gave Frankie a sharp look.

Frankie drooped his head and said "Yah, Lieu. I understand. It's just that she's been through so much already. I just want to kill him and get it over with."

"I know you do. Don't you think Vince and I want to do the same thing? Why do you think I haven't let you see the video."

Frankie gave Cavanaugh a _whatever_ look.

Korsak spoke up and said "He's right, Frankie. It's not something you should see. I wish to god I hadn't seen it. She went through hell."

Frankie shook his head and conceded.

"Ok." Cavanaugh began. "I will put a round the clock protection detail on Jane and I don't want her going out on any cases without at least one of you with her. She is to wear her vest at all times, no getting around it. Also, when Jones is apprehended, she is to have nothing to do with it. She, in this case, is the victim and victims can't be involved in the arrest of their aggressor. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." Korsak and Frankie answered in unison.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Maura took Jane and Angela to a little bistro with outdoor seating for lunch. It was a nice, warm June day so they opted to sit outside. They enjoyed salads and iced tea while soaking up as many sun rays as they could. They chatted about everything except the big news that Jane had shared a little while ago.

Angela finally threw her napkin on the table and said, "Jane Clementine Rizzoli! Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant. It isn't like I haven't gone through it three times myself."

Jane pushed back her chair from the table and placed her hand protectively over the gentle mound of her stomach. "I wasn't trying to hide it from you, Ma. It's just that I had to come to grips with the idea of it myself before I could let anyone else know."

"You let Maura know." Angela snapped.

Maura blushed and looked down at the table but said nothing.

"Well, yes, I did. Maura and I are together. We're a couple. She's my partner and I love her. We share everything with each other." Jane reached across the table and took Maura's hand in hers.

Angela, looking embarrassed, said "Oh. I didn't mean it like that. I'm your mother, Janie. I guess I was just feeling left out because you didn't tell me before you told everyone else."

"I'm sorry, Ma. I guess I could have handled it better." She gave Maura's hand a squeeze.

"Well?" said Angela.

"Well what?" asked Jane in confusion.

"Aren't you going to let me see it?"

"See what, Ma?"

"Your belly, of course."

"What? Here? Now?"

"Sure, why not?"  
"Because we are sitting outside at a bistro having lunch. That's why not."

"Come on, Janie. It's only your stomach."

"Fine" mumbled Jane as she lifted her shirt to reveal her tiny baby mound protruding from between her hip bones.

"What's that?" asked Angela as she pointed at Jane's stomach.

Jane had completely forgotten about Maura's makeshift belt to hold her pants up.

Maura started to laugh as Jane began to moan. "I rigged her pants so they would stay up. She can't get them to button anymore." said Maura through fits of giggles.

"Yah, Ma. Maur..." Jane froze.

"Jane. What is it?" Maura asked as she saw the look of horror cross Jane's face.

"It's him. He's found me." Jane whispered as both women followed Jane's gaze to the sneering face of Casey Jones.


	15. Chapter 15

_A huge thanks to all my readers. It is because of you and your words of encouragement that I keep this story going. Sorry for the length of this chapter but there was a lot going on. Thanks again! xoxo_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane locked eyes with Casey then jumped from her chair. Casey turned and began to run.

"Jane, no!" shouted Maura as Jane took off after him.

Jane didn't hear Maura hollering after her, the blood pounding in her ears made her deaf. She had one thing and one thing only on her mind, _take down Casey._

Casey had a good head start on her but Jane was determined to catch him. He ran down the block and she saw him hang a left at the end of it. She sprinted to the corner and made the turn also.

"DAMN IT!" she shouted, even though she was winded from the run. Casey had slipped from her sight.

She started to jog down that side street with the hopes of spotting him. She had gone about three quarters of the way down with no luck. Just as she started to turn around and head back, she heard someone approaching from behind her. She started to reach for her gun, securely strapped on her left hip, when someone grabbed her from behind. She tried to yell but his hand was securely clamped over her mouth. She continued reaching for her gun but she was whipped around and slammed against the brick building before she could get it out of her holster. She knew who it was that had grabbed her but the mere sight of Casey Jones staring into her eyes sent a shiver of fear up and down her spine.

"So." he said in a dangerous voice. "We meet again, don't we Jane?" His hand on her mouth clamped tighter and his other hand held her left one so she couldn't reach for her gun.

She tried to break his grip on her but was unable. Tears of terror welled in her eyes and she tried to kick him.

"Now, Jane. We'll have none of that."

Jane tried to bite his hand.

Casey only removed his hand from her mouth long enough to slap her across the face. "I told you, none of that!"

Tears were streaking down Jane's face. They were tears of fear and pain mixed together. The sight of them seemed to excite him.

"I see you haven't gotten rid of your dyke lover yet. I told you that if you didn't ditch her to make room for me that I'd be back and take care of both of you. Don't you remember?" He whispered into her ear.

Jane tried to thrash her head from side to side in the hopes of breaking free from his grasp. He only squeezed her tighter. She was terrified not only for herself but Casey had now threatened Maura too. If anything happened to Maura, she would die.

The sound of sirens in the near distance gave Jane a glimmer of hope that Casey wasn't going to kill her. At least not kill her right now.

Casey let out a howl of rage at the sound and slammed Jane's head off the building then left her drop to the sidewalk in a daze. "Mark my words, Jane. I will have you! You will be mine...one way or another."

Blackness threatened to close in around Jane as she sat there, slumped on the sidewalk. She soon became aware of voices around her, voices that she recognized.

"Jane! Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Jane recognized the voice of her lover as she heard the rhythmic click of heels on the sidewalk as Maura ran toward her. Blackness clouded her vision again.

"Jane. Jane!" Maura yelled into her ear. "Jane. Look at me."

Jane wanted to obey but the blackness was winning. She tried to tell Maura this but no words would come out.

"Someone give me a towel." Jane heard Maura say. "She's got a laceration on the back of her head."

"Oh shit, Maura, not again!" she heard Frankie say. "She just got over a head injury."

"She needs to get to the hospital, quickly." Maura said.

"Jane? Janie?" she heard her mother's voice like it was coming from the far end of a tube. "Oh my god! What's happened to her?" Angela panicked when she saw the blood on her daughter's shirt and on the Medical Examiner's hands.

"I'm not sure Angela." said Maura in her professional voice. "We need to get her to the hospital."

Jane continued to fight the blackness that was engulfing her. She fought it until she was able to see a pinpoint of light. She fought harder and the pinpoint grew. Finally, she fought it until she was able to focus on Maura's beautiful face.

"Jane? Can you hear me?" asked Maura as she peered into those dark chocolate eyes that she loved so much.

Jane nodded her head, winced, swallowed, then reached up to touch the back of her head. "It was Casey." she croaked. "He grabbed me from behind. When we heard the sirens, he slammed my head off the building." She tried to get up but felt warm, strong hands on her shoulders and slumped back against the wall.

Jane saw that her mother had sat down on the sidewalk beside her and now was holding her hand and stroking the back it it, tears running down her face.

"We need to get you to the hospital Jane. You were blacked out for about ten minutes."

"I was never blacked out, Maur. I heard everything you were saying. I just couldn't talk back to you. The blackness threatened but I wouldn't let it win. Do you think the baby's alright?"

"Did he hit you in the abdomen?" Maura saw the angry purple bruise forming over Jane's jaw and cheek and knew she had at the least been hit across the face.

"N..no." Jane said. Jane's face held an odd expression.

"What is it, honey?" Maura and Angela said at the same time.

Jane gave her mother's hand a reassuring squeeze then looked into Maura's gorgeous hazel eyes and said "He said he was going to kill you."

"Me?" asked Maura in surprise. Maura must have been shaken by this because Jane felt the pressure against the back of her head increase.

"Ouch, Maur." Jane said.

"Sorry." The pressure lessened. "Did he really threaten to kill me?"

"Yah. He said that if I didn't break up with you that...that...that he was going to kill you so he could have me all to himself."

Maura's eyes opened wide with shock but before they could continue the conversation, the ambulance arrived and Jane was whisked away.

By the time Maura, Angela, Frankie, and Korsak arrived at the hospital, Jane was already being attended to.

Dr. Carter walked into Jane's ER room and said "You know, detective, if you want to visit you don't have to come by ambulance."

Jane gave a weak chuckle. "I know, doc, but this is the fastest way to get your attention."

Both laughed.

"Can you tell me what happened? The report said you were knocked out and have a laceration to the back of your head."

"That's true except I was never blacked out. I would call it more of a brown out."

"A brown out?"

"Yah. I knew everything that was happening but couldn't tell them. It was weird."

"Hummm, interesting." said Dr. Carter. "Let's take a look at that head."

Jane went to lean forward but stopped and looked at the doctor and said "Do you think my baby's alright?"

"Let me look at your head then I'll bring one of the OB docs in and we'll get you checked. Any pain or cramping?"

"Only in my head."

"That's a good sign." He gently probed the back of Jane's head. "Looks like you're going to need a few stitches back here. What did you hit your head on?"

"I didn't hit it. It was slammed off the side of a brick building."

"Oh my! Did you see who did it?"

Jane gave a sarcastic laugh and said "Yah. The guy who raped me."

Dr. Carter didn't know what to say so he asked "Would you like for me to see if Dr. Isles is out there? I can have her come in during the stitching and OB check."

"That would be great doc. Thanks."

Jane was all stitched up and she and Maura were reassured that all was well with the baby (they had gotten to hear it's heartbeat) and were admiring the ultrasound picture of their little one when they heard Angela's voice in the hall.

"Where is my daughter!" she yelled. "You have kept me from her long enough. I want to see her, NOW!"

A flustered nurse ushered Angela into Jane's room. Jane gave her a sympathetic smile and mouthed _thanks and sorry_. The nurse gave a curt nod and walked away.

"Oh my god, Jane. Oh my god. Are you alright?"

"Yah Ma. I'm fine. They're going to keep me over night for observation because Of my recent head injury and because of the baby."

Angela let out a sigh of relief. "Janie. You're going to be the death of me. You have given me more trouble than both your brothers combined."

Grinning, Jane held out the picture to her mother and said "Look."

Angela took the picture, place her hand over her heart, and looked at Jane with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Janie. Is this what I think it is?"

"Yah, Ma. It's our baby." Jane pulled Maura in closer and laid her head against Maura's side.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane was barely settled into her room when the imposing figure of Lieutenant Sean Cavanaugh darkened her doorway. "Rizzoli. How are you feeling?" Then nodded at Maura and said, "Dr. Isles."

"I'm fine, Lieu. Just a slight headache. Only three stitches. They're only keeping me because of before."

"Good. Glad you're alright. We need to talk, Rizzoli."

"I can leave and give you privacy." said Maura, rising from the chair beside Jane's bed.

"No. I'd like for you to stay. This involves you too."

"Oh." said Maura and sat back down. She grabbed Jane's hand, fearing the worst.

"Frankie and Vince filled me in on what happened. It was a good thing that Dr. Isles here had the good sense to call 9-1-1 when you took off like a banshee after Jones."

"Sorry, Lieu, I..."

Cavanaugh held up his hand to silence her.

"Is it true that he made a threat against Dr. Isles to you?"

Jane nodded.

"That bastard!" said Cavanaugh. "Ok. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to station a guard outside your room for tonight and I'm going to have patrol escort Dr. Isles home and patrol around her house all night. In the morning, when you are discharged, I want the two of you to get out of town for a few days and let us try and flush this asshole out."

Jane's eyes widened. She had never run away from anything and she sure as hell didn't want to start now. She opened her mouth to protest but Maura beat her to it.

"Lieutenant Cavanaugh. That won't be necessary. I will be perfectly fine at home tonight. I would appreciate the escort home, though. I need to get cleaned up. I'm a bit messy."

This was the first that Jane noticed the blood down the front and sleeves of Maura's clothing, her blood. "Maur. You can always come back here, after you get cleaned up."

"I just might do that, Jane."

"I still want the two of you to leave town tomorrow." Cavanaugh interjected.

Again Jane went to protest and again, Maura spoke first. "Let me make a phone call. I might have the perfect place."

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Maura arrived home and allowed her escort to do a walk through her house to make sure it was secure. Finding nothing amiss, Maura thanked the officer and told him that he didn't have to stay.

He tried to protest but she explained to him that she was going to shower, eat, and head back to the hospital for the night so there was no reason for him to stay. He called Lieutenant Cavanaugh and Cavanaugh reluctantly said it was ok, provided Maura did exactly what she said she was going to do. Maura promised and the officer left.

Maura peeled off her blood-stained clothes and took a nice, long, hot shower. She stood still for several minutes and allowed the warmth to seep into her every pore and wash away the tensions of the day. After she rinsed her hair the final time, she stepped out of the shower, dried off, and slipped into the plush Boston Red Sox robe that Jane had gotten her. She went down stairs and while fixing herself some supper, called Jane.

On the second ring, Jane picked up. "Maur? Are you alright?" Jane's voice was anxious.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. I hate being at home without you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. Still have a bit of a headache but nothing I can't handle. Are you coming back here tonight?"

"Yes. If you want me to."

"Of course I want you to. Geez, Maur. I thought that was evident."

Maura giggled. "I know. I just like hearing you say that you want me."

"Always." said Jane.

Maura had fixed her plate of food, poured herself a glass of wine, and was headed into the living room to eat then a loud noise filled the room.

Jane heard glass shattering and the phone thunking on the floor. "Maura? MAURA!" Jane screamed. "Maura. What's happening."

She heard a moan then someone fumbling with the phone.

"Maura? Talk to me, Maura. What's happening?"

"Jane." came Maura's weakened voice.

"I'm here. What's wrong?"

"I think I've just been shot."

The phone thunked back to the floor.


	16. Chapter 16

_Ok. I got mixed reviews over that last chapter. Smart people do dumb things when they are frightened. I never promised a fluff piece. Yes, there is going to be more tension and drama. That is a guarantee but I will promise that everything will work out in the end. Remember...it's FICTION!_

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"Maura! MAURA!" Jane screamed into the phone. "Shit!" she yelled as she picked up the phone on her bedside table. She didn't want to break the connection with Maura in case she was able to talk to her.

"9-1-1, how may I assist you?" came the voice on the other end.

"This is Detective Jane Rizzoli, Boston Homicide. I need a cruiser and an ambulance to go to the home of Dr. Maura Isles on Beacon Hill. Shots were fired and the doctor's been wounded."

"Are you on the scene, detective?"

"No. I was on the phone with her at the time of the incident. She told me she was shot before she passed out. Please hurry."

"Very well, detective. A cruiser and ambulance are on their way. Which hospital?"

"Boston General. Please have then call ahead and inform Dr. Carter that Dr. Isles is on her way in with a gunshot wound."

"Yes, detective. Please hold the line."

"Sure. Sure. Whatever you need me to do."

"Ok, detective. The crew has arrived and gained access to the premises. Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Please have them tell Dr. Isles that I will meet her in the ER. Thanks."

"Very well, detective. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Jane could hear activity in Maura's living room. She was relieved to hear Maura's voice, weak as it was, talking to the medics. She heard them loading Maura and heading out, then silence. She hung up her phone and climbed out of bed, dragging her IV pole behind her as she headed for the elevators.

"Where do you think you're going, detective?" The deep voice came from outside her door.

Jane turned and saw the officer. She had completely forgotten that he was stationed outside her door.

"I'm going to the ER."

"Might I ask, why?"

"There's been an incident and Dr. Isles is being brought in by ambulance. I need to be there for her. Come or don't come that's your choice but you will not stop me from going." Jane gave him a _don't mess with me_ look.

The officer arose from his chair and went with her. He had heard from too many other officers that once Jane Rizzoli set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. "How you feeling, Rizzoli?"

"Head hurts but other than that, alright. I'm just worried about Maura."

"What happened?"

"We were on the phone and there was this loud blast. She said she had been shot. I just have to be there when she comes in." Silently in her mind, she added _I love her._

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It seemed like it took forever before she was permitted in to see Maura. Jane tried pacing during the wait but her IV kept getting in the way so she resorted to lurking by the nurses' station and questioning anyone and everyone who came out of Maura's room. Once given the green-light, Jane practically ran into the room, IV and guard in tow.

"Maura? Oh god, Maura. Are you alright?"

Maura was a bit groggy from the IV Morphine she had been given to help ease the pain but was able to smile at Jane and say "I got shot. Can you berieve it?"

"Berieve it?" Jane questioned. "Where did you get hit?"

"Right here." Maura said as she lifted her bandaged right arm. "Dey sed it was a frew and frew."

In spite of the fact that she was scared to death, Jane couldn't help but laugh. "You're stoned, Maura. Completely stoned."

Maura giggled.

"Dr. Carter heard the giggling and came in. "Oh, detective. I should have known you would be here, even though you are to be in your room and in your bed." He winked at her.

"How is she, doc? I tried to talk to her but she is so stoned. What did you give her, anyway?"

"Stoned, stoned, stoned." Maura sang as she continued to giggle.

"God, Maur. I should be recording this." Jane said as she leaned down to kiss the blonde on the forehead.

"She was shot in her upper right arm. Thankfully, it was a through and through. No major vessels or bony structures were involved. It just needed cleaned up and stitched. She's going to be in pain," Maura giggled. "or not, for a while but no permanent damage has been done."

"That's a relief." said Jane as she held Maura's hand.

"Relief, relief, relief that's such a relief." sang Maura.

"Doc." said Jane. "How long will that medicine last? She's enjoying the ride way too much."

Maura broke into a chorus of Mustang Sally, if anything, to emphasize Jane's point.

Dr. Carter laughed. "We might have given her a bit too much. Hopefully, she will fall asleep soon and it will wear off before she wakes up again."

Jane shook her head and laughed. She couldn't help herself. She pulled out her phone and shot video of Maura. She knew Maura would kill her over this but she couldn't help herself.

After about fifteen minutes of Maura's non-stop singing, Jane was ready for her to go to sleep.

"Geez Maur. You're starting to drive me crazy,"

Maura broke into a chorus of I Drove All Night, followed by a chorus of Crazy.

Jane was in the bathroom, again, when all of a sudden Maura got quiet. She opened the door to find Maura, mouth open, snoring away. Again, she couldn't resist and snapped a pic. She was going to be in so much trouble but after what they had been through, what was a bit more.

Dr. Carter stuck his head in the door and said "Aha. She's sleeping. She's been entertaining the staff quite well. I was afraid you might have smothered her." He smiled.

"Tempting but not possible." said Jane.

"We'll move her up to your room in about five minutes. They're just moving another bed in. You can head back up if you want."

"Thanks but no thanks. I'll wait and ride up with her."

Dr. Carter went to leave and Jane called to him. "Hey doc."

"Yes, detective?"

"Thanks for everything."

"You're very welcome."

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The next morning, Jane awoke to the sound of Maura moaning in the bed beside her. Wait, thought Jane, Maura was in her bed, with her. When had she done that? The last that Jane knew, Maura was snoring in her own bed. Jane didn't mind the closeness but was concerned that she didn't know Maura was up and about.

Maura moaned again.

"Maur? Wake up, honey." Jane's voice was soft and gentle in her ear.

"I'm awake. It hurts."

"I'll call for the nurse to get you something for pain. Just as long as it isn't what they gave you last night." Jane said with a giggle.

"Why?" asked Maura, suddenly wide awake.

Jane couldn't hold it back any longer and broke into a fit of laughter.

"Jane! What's so funny? I'm in pain here."

"I know and I'm sorry but you were so effing funny last night. You put on a Broadway show, all by yourself."

"You're lying!"

"Nope and I have video to prove it."

Maura was mortified. "Say it isn't so."

"Sorry, sweetie, it is so."

"Oh god!" moaned Maura, partly from embarrassment and partly from the pain. "How will I ever show my face in here again?"

"You were marvelous. Great set of pipes, I might add."

Maura punched Jane lightly on the shoulder then grabbed her arm. "This hurts so bad. I can't imagine what it was like for you when you were shot in the abdomen."

"Not fun. That's for sure."

The nurse walked in. "Here we go, Dr. Isles. This should give you some relief." The nurse handed Maura a cup with two pills in it and a couple packs of saltines.

"What is it?" Maura asked skeptically as she took the items from the nurse.

"Percocet. Dr. Carter ordered it for you. The crackers are so you don't get an upset stomach from them. Oh, he said he will be here around 8:30 and if everything looks good, he'll discharge you both. Dr. Isles, you'll have to go home on antibiotics, though."

Maura swallowed the pills and opened the crackers.

Jane smiled and thanked the nurse.

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By 10:00am, they were back at Maura's house. Someone had boarded up the window and, after CSU was done, cleaned up the mess in the living room. Jane had a feeling it had been her mother. They were just about to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea when there was a knock at the door.

"Stay there." Jane said to Maura as she grabbed her gun and headed to the front door. They knew there were patrol officers outside but weren't taking any chances.

"Who is it?" Jane called as she looked out the side light.

"Rizzoli. It's me. Open up." said Lieutenant Cavanaugh.

"Hey, Lieu. What's up?"

"Jesus, Rizzoli. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pulled the detail off of Dr. Isles. I never thought that asshole would take a shot at her. How is she?"

"See for yourself. We were just having some hot tea. Want some?"

"Thanks but no." Cavanaugh wove his way into the living room and sat down across from Maura. "Dr. Isles. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have pulled patrol."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have been so stubborn. I guess we both learned a lesson. Besides, whether patrol was here or not, he was still going to shoot me. I guess what saved me was I was bending down to put my glass on the coffee table when he shot and he only got my arm."

"Are you in much pain?"

"It hurts but the medication takes care of the worst of it."

Jane came back with three mugs of tea, even though Cavanaugh said he didn't want any.

Cavanaugh murmured "Thanks." to Jane then said "Dr. Isles, remember yesterday when you said that you knew of a safe place for you and Rizzoli to go?"

"Yes."

"Is it still available?"

"Yes. It is."

"Good. I want the two of you to go there ASAP. Where is it, by the way."

"Oh. It's on the Vineyard. My parents own a house there and I can use any time I Wish."

Jane's jaw hit the floor. "The Vineyard. _The Vineyard._" she said. "Your parents own a house on Martha's Vineyard."

"Yes." Maura said, not knowing why Jane was looking at her like she was. "They've owned it for years. Is there a problem?"

"No." said Jane. "I knew your folks were well off but I didn't know they were that well off."

Maura just shook her head. "Really, Jane. It's not a big deal."

"Believe me. When you grow up the daughter of a plumber, a house on the Vineyard is a big deal."

"You done drooling, Rizzoli?" Cavanaugh asked.

Jane had forgotten he was there. "Oh, yah. Sorry."

"Good. I'm calling the airport and making arrangements for you to fly out on the first available. Then, I am personally taking you there and putting you on the plane. Understood?"

Both Jane and Maura nodded that they did.

"Good. Now get packed." he said.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Warning: this chapter contains an explicit sex scene.**_

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_Martha's Vineyard_

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Jane stood on the back deck of the Isles' beach house and gazed out over the ocean. She was lost in thought and didn't hear Maura approach. She jumped and screamed when Maura slipped an arm around her waist.

"God, Maura. You scared the shit out of me. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Maura giggled and said "Sorry about that. No. You didn't hurt me. In fact, I feel quite well. There's something about this place that makes everything go away."

Jane slipped her arm around Maura, mindful of her injured arm and planted a deep, passionate kiss on her lips.

"Wow!" swooned Maura. "I think you've gotten me a bit light-headed, detective."

Jane laughed. "I do try and do my best." she said as she leaned in for another kiss.

They moved to the chaise where they could both lay down and continue their make-out session without fear that either would end up on the floor. They petted and kissed and touched, always mindful of each others injuries.

When Maura slipped her hand inside Jane's sweats, they decided it was time to move the party indoors. They raced up to the master suite and began disrobing each other with slow, deliberate care. Once naked, they got onto the bed and resumed the touching and stroking of each others body. Tensions were building quickly, mainly because they hadn't had sex in such a long time, and each struggled to make it last as long as possible before going over the edge into bliss.

Jane sat up and eased Maura onto her back, bracing her injured arm with a pillow before resuming her ministrations. Maura thought she would explode when she felt Jane's hot breath on her inner thighs. Maura let out a moan of pleasure when she felt Jane's tongue flick against her swollen nub. The flick became a lick and the lick turned into a suck. Maura knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Jane's mouth was working magic on her. All of a sudden she let loose. She screamed Jane's name and orgasmed over and over again. She was hardly aware of Jane laying on top of her and swallowing the screams with kisses.

Maura finally recovered enough to realize that she had just had the absolute best sex of her life. "WOW!" was all she could manage as she continued to gasp for breath.

Jane was snuggled in beside her with her leg and baby mound resting on top of Maura. "Glad I could be of service." she said with a note of pride in her voice. "I take it, it was good for you. I know it was good for me."

"Oh, god, yes." said Maura, still breathless. "You've been holding out on me."

Jane let out a laugh that tickled the side of Maura's neck. "Not really. It's just that this place is so calming, so magical that I feel like I can let loose without any consequences."

"Thank you again. How's your head? I didn't hurt you,did I?"

"I'm ok. Just a tiny headache that will be cured by a good night's sleep. How are you feeling?"

"Good. Sore. I'll be fine."

Jane snuggled in closer and reached down to pull the duvet up over them. "Hungry?" she asked.

"A little but I think I'd like to get a nap in first. How about you?"

"Same here. I think a nap will do us both some good."

They were awakened about an hour and a half later by a noise downstairs. Jane jumped out of bed and pulled on her sweats and her oversized BPD t-shirt while she motioned for Maura to stay in bed and remain quiet. Jane, having left her gun back in Boston, looked for a weapon and picked up a large glass vase then crept out of the room. She silently moved down the stairs as she listened for clues as to where the perpetrator was. She heard a noise and moved silently into the kitchen. The man was bent over and seemed to be looting the refrigerator.

"Freeze, asshole!" Jane yelled as she hoisted the vase like a club. "Put your hands where I can see them and slowly turn around. Any funny stuff and I will hit you."

The man did as he was told and turned to face her, eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Who are you and why are you in here?" Jane demanded.

"Senora Isles call and ask me to make house ready. I mean no harm. Please no hurt me. Senora Isles ask me." The man trembled in his shoes and Jane thought he was going to wet his pants.

Jane heard a noise behind her and saw Maura making her way into the kitchen. She had a bathrobe awkwardly pulled around her.

"Maura. Do you know this guy? He said you asked him to get the house ready."

Maura peered around Jane at the frightened man. "Oh. Yes. So sorry, Juan. Jane this is Juan, my parents caretaker."

"See lady. I tell you she ask me here."

Jane set the vase on the table. "Sorry about that. We were upstairs napping and heard a noise. Can't be too careful. Um...thanks for bringing all this stuff."

Juan gave a curt nod. "Can I go now, Senora?"

"Yes. Thank you Juan. I'm so sorry about that."

"No worries, miss."

After Juan was safely out of earshot, Jane and Maura looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Did you see his face?" asked Jane. "I thought he was going to wet himself."

"It wasn't as funny as seeing you with my mother's vase hoisted over your head like a caveman's club. Seriously, Jane, were you really going to hit him with it?"

"Well...yah. If I had to."

"I'm just glad you didn't. That vase cost my mother about five thousand dollars, ten years ago."

"Five _thousand_ dollars! Seriously?"

"Yes. Quite seriously."

"I think I'm going to just leave it where it is for now." said Jane, backing away from the table.

"Good. Will you come upstairs with me?"

"Sure Maura but I'm not sure I'm ready for round two quite yet."

Maura let out a laugh. "That's a good thought but neither am I. I need you to help me get dressed and you need to put a bra on. Your breasts have to be killing you without one on. I mean, they have gotten quite large."

"Sure. Now that you mention it, my boobs have been pretty sore lately. Have they really gotten that big?"

"Yes but you'll never hear me complaining" said Maura then flashed Jane a seductive smile.

"If I weren't so tired, Dr. Isles, I would gladly service you again but...," Jane let out a huge yawn, "it's going to have to wait until later. Come on. Let's get you dressed and lay down for a bit more."

Jane woke about an hour later, not from noise this time but from discomfort. She went to adjust herself into a more comfortable position and realized it was her bladder causing the discomfort, not her position. Stifling a groan, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She shut the door and caught her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of it. Her stomach seemed to have gotten bigger over the past day. She lifted her shirt and was shocked to see that it had gotten bigger. "There better be only one of you in there." she said to her belly. "One's going to be hard enough on me. I don't think I could handle two."

There was a light knock on the door then Maura said "Jane. Is everything alright? Who are you talking to?"

Jane finished, flushed, and washed her hands before opening the door. "This." she said as she lifted her shirt. "This is what I'm talking to. It's gotten bigger. I was just telling it that there better be only one in there, not two."

Maura giggled and gently caressed Jane's belly. "I think it's adorable." she said.

Jane kissed her softly on the lips. "Let's see you say that when I'm so big that I can't see my shoes."

"I can't wait." Maura moved past Jane into the bathroom. "Would you like to go for a walk along the beach? It is such a beautiful afternoon."

"Yah. I'd like that. I'll meet you downstairs."

When Maura came down, Jane had fixed each of them a sandwich and had two bottles of water opened and on the counter.

"I thought you might be hungry, I know I am." Jane said with a smile. "Though, it seems like I'm always hungry anymore."

"That's because you're eating for two...or three..." Maura said with a twinkle in her eye.

Jane balled up her napkin and threw it at her. "Not even funny."she said with a laugh.

With sandwiches done and Jane in and out of the bathroom again, they headed to the beach. They left their shoes on the deck and walked hand in hand in the surf, just enjoying being together.

They walked for about fifteen minutes when Jane pulled Maura to a stop.

"What's the matter?" Maura quizzed.

"Nothing. I just wanted to do this." Jane took Maura's face between her hands and kissed her, right there on the beach, not caring who or what saw them. "I love you so much, Maura Dorothea Isles. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you too, Jane Clementine Rizzoli. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too. Will you marry me?"

Jane broke into a huge, double-dimpled grin. "Yes. Yes. Of course I'll marry you." Jane hugged Maura as tight as she dared without hurting her injured arm. "When are we going to do this?"

"How about tomorrow?" asked Maura. "We could get married right here, on the island."

"Really? Tomorrow?" asked Jane with child-like enthusiasm.

Maura smiled and shook her head _yes_.

Jane's eyes danced with delight as she started back toward the house, pulling Maura behind her.

"Jane. Where are we going?"

"There has to be a jewelery store around here somewhere. Let's go pick out our rings."

"I know the perfect place then we'll stop off and have fried clams and lobster for dinner."

"Sounds wonderful!" exclaimed Jane. She would have picked Maura up and twirled her around if Maura and she weren't the walking wounded _and_ if she wasn't almost five months pregnant.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Warning: Explicit sexual content.**_

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At 10:00 the next morning, they stood before the judge and promised to honor and cherish one another until death did them part. They pledged their undying love and exchanged the rings that they had purchased the evening before. With a pronouncement and a kiss, they were officially married. Neither Jane nor Maura could stop smiling. The court clerk was gracious enough to serve as both their witness and photographer and snapped several pictures of the happy couple.

They walked hand in hand out of the courthouse as a married couple and across the street to a seafood restaurant where they feasted on shrimp, crab, and lobster. Then they toasted each other with flutes of sparkling cider and kissed before the applauding waitstaff. Afterward, they strolled along the boardwalk and indulged in double scoops of ice cream before heading back to the car and to the house for an overdue nap.

Maura awoke before Jane and gazed lovingly at her wife before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek and pulling the covers over her shoulder before easing out of bed. She tip-toed down the stairs and used the powder room down there so she wouldn't disturb Jane. She fixed herself a mug of hot tea and carried it out onto the deck where she reclined in the sunlight and admired her new ring. They had chosen white gold rings with a stripe of yellow gold through the center. They were simple but elegant.

Maura must have dozed off in the warmth of the afternoon because the next thing she knew was she was being awakened by soft kisses on her cheek. Her eyes flew open and she looked into the smiling face of her wife.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Rizzoli." Jane said with a smile.

"Good afternoon to you too, Mrs. Isles." Maura said as she stretched her left arm up and pulled Jane down to her for a kiss.

They hadn't talked about what they were going to do about their names so for now, Mrs. Rizzoli and Mrs. Isles would do.

Jane sat down beside Maura and gathered her into a warm embrace. She trailed kissed down Maura's neck and caused her to shiver when she took Maura's earlobe in her mouth and lightly bit it.

"Jane." Maura's voice barely made a sound. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Um, Jane. I think we need to take this into the house." Maura felt herself growing wet already and the foreplay was just beginning.

Jane took a shaking breath and said "Good idea." She was also growing wet and couldn't wait to get Maura upstairs and naked in bed. _Must be the hormones_, she thought. She had read that during the second trimester, her libido would greatly increase. Thank goodness that article hadn't lied.

Maura led the way up the stairs as Jane followed, grabbing Maura's butt every chance she got. When they reached the bedroom, Maura turned and trapped Jane against the door covering her with kisses as she, one handed, began to remove Jane's clothing.

Jane, in turn, slowly and sensuously unbuttoned Maura's blouse and slipped it down over her arms before removing her bra and taking one nipple and then the other into her mouth, sucking and nipping each one. Jane then removed Maura's pants and panties and slipped her hand between the blonde's legs, shocked to find her so wet already. Jane went back to Maura's breasts with her mouth as her hands worked their magic below.

Maura shuddered and let out a moan before lifting Jane's head from her breasts. "My turn." she said huskily and had to hold onto the door frame while the feeling returned to her lower body. "God, you're good." she said to Jane as she took her to the bed and laid her down.

Jane helped Maura with her pants. Maura did wonders removing Jane's top and bra with only one hand. Jane went to reach for Maura's breast again but Maura shook her head no. "My turn to pleasure you." she said in a breathless whisper.

Jane laid back, careful not to lay on her stitched scalp, and allowed herself to be carried away on a cloud of sexual haze by her wife.

Maura straddled Jane, careful not to sit on the baby, and started by kissing Jane down her neck and across her collar bone. She then trailed kisses down between and over Jane's large breasts, flicking her tongue playfully at each nipple before taking one and then the other into her mouth and sucking gently.

The sensation almost made Jane come instantly but she gritted her teeth and grabbed two hands full of the bedding to prevent it.

Maura then slid down Jane's legs and trailed kisses down her body, taking extra time to kiss and caress the growing mound of their baby. Jane started moaning because as Maura was kissing her stomach, she slipped her hand between Jane's thighs and started massaging her extremely wet and swollen nub. She used her thumb and worked in circles one way and then the other causing Jane to arch up so she was rubbing harder. She then slipped two fingers inside Jane and began stroking her in and out. She could feel Jane spasming and knew an orgasm wasn't far away. To put her over the edge, Maura slid down even further and took Jane's nub into her mouth and began sucking with a flick of her tongue and a nip of her teeth thrown in every once in a while.

Jane couldn't hold back anymore and the force of her orgasm surprised even her. She spasmed over and over again, all the while calling out Maura's name. When the spasms finally subsided, Jane lay spent and breathless. She had finally recovered, reached out and pulled Maura on top of her.

"Jane. The baby. I don't want to squash it."

"It's fine, Maura. I just want to feel the weight of you on top of me. That was wonderful, by the way. The best sex I've ever had. I guess it gets better once you're married." She stroked her hands up and down Maura's back. "Thank you. I love you." She kissed the top of her wife's head.

"I love you too." she said as she lifted her head and kissed her wife's chin. "Nothing like an afternoon delight to start off married life." She slid off of Jane and laid on her left side, allowing her injured right arm to remain on Jane's middle.

They awakened some time later shivering and Jane, of course, had to pee. Maura went to roll the rest of the way off of Jane when she hissed in pain.

"What is it, Maur?" Jane asked in concern.

"I think I either overdid during that last sexual encounter or I kept my arm in one place too long. Could you get me a couple pain pills, please? They're in my bag in the bathroom."

"Sure. I'll be right back." Jane wanted to medicate her wife first but her bladder was screaming to be taken to the head of the class. She quickly peed then flushed and washed and raced the pills to her wife.

She was just settling in bed again when her cell rang. Grabbing it and looking at the number, she quickly pressed the talk and said "Rizzoli."

"Jane. This is Vince."

"What's going on, Vince? Have you caught him yet?"

"Not yet. We have a few leads we're working on. I was just calling to see how you and Dr. Isles are doing."

"We're good. In fact, we're better than good. This place is amazing. Makes you forget there is another world out there." she said as she stroked Maura's back.

Maura had taken her pills and had snuggled in against Jane while they took effect. She couldn't wait until she could lay on her right side again. Her left side was really beginning to bother her.

Jane talked to Korsak about twenty minutes more. This gave the medicine time to take the pain away and Maura found herself slipping into a drug-induced slumber when she heard Jane say "Thanks for calling, Vince. Keep me posted on what's going on. Yah. I love you too."

"Everything good?" Maura asked groggily. "They catch him yet?"

"Everything's fine back home but no, they didn't catch him yet. That means we are still on paid vacation." Jane slid down under the covers and pulled Maura in close so her head was resting on Jane's shoulder. She didn't know how long she laid there, just enjoying the feel of Maura next to her and the tickle of her warm breath as it fluttered over Jane's bare skin.

Jane was just about to fall asleep herself when she felt a sensation in her abdomen. It startled her and she jumped, causing Maura to arouse.

"What's going on?" Maura asked.

"It moved. The baby just moved." Jane said as she grasped her abdomen with both hands.


	19. Chapter 19

Two weeks had passed and the BPD still hadn't apprehended Casey. As much as Jane loved being on

the Vineyard with Maura, she was eager to get back to work. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to be out in the field because she was very obviously pregnant now. She and Maura were still enjoying long walks along the shore and equally long sessions in bed (Maura's arm was almost 100% healed and the stitches had been removed from Jane's scalp) but now they added a new past time, laying in bed and waiting to feel the baby move. They would lay like that for hours, especially at night and would often fall asleep with their hands joined on their baby.

Maura knew that Jane was becoming restless and tried to distract her any way she could. She knew Jane was born to be a cop and someone like her was not meant to wile away her days playing on Martha's Vineyard, especially for as long as they had been there. Jane was a trooper, though, and complained very little about being bored. This surprised Maura, actually.

After taking a phone call and going out on the back deck to talk, Jane came back into the house, threw her phone down and flopped onto the couch. "I can't do this anymore." she said as she flung her arm over her face. "If we don't get off this island soon, I'm going to go crazy."

"Who called you?"

"Ma. She's crying because she doesn't know where we are and she's afraid that I'll have the baby and she'll never get to see it or us again."

Maura came over and sat down on the edge of the couch and began stroking Jane's arm. "I know you're restless. I wish they'd catch him too. At least your mother's here. Mine's jetting about Europe right now and I have no way of even getting in touch with her. Plus, it pains me to think of what Dr. Pike is doing to my lab, not to mention what he's doing to my staff. Half of them will probably have quit by the time we get back."

Jane rolled onto her side to give Maura more room and to pull her in closer. She was getting herself settled when the sensation hit. "Gotta go!" she said as she tried to get Maura out of the way. It seemed like the baby had taken up residence on Jane's bladder and had no intention of moving anytime soon.

Maura slid off the couch and landed on the floor with a thud.

Jane apologized profusely as she scurried to the powder room, not even pausing to close the door.

"Sorry about that," she said as she returned to the living room and helped Maura back onto the couch. "This kid's going to be the death of me. When I've got to go, I've _got to go_."

Maura laughed as she rubbed her backside. "So I've noticed."

"Want me to kiss it and make it all better?" Jane asked playfully.

"Hummm. I like the offer but maybe later. I have something else in mind."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease Maura. Not another documentary."

"No Detective Party-Pooper, it's not a documentary. Get your shoes on. We're headed into town."

About ten minutes later, they were headed to town in the Isles' silver BMW convertible. Jane tried and tried to get Maura to tell her where they were going but Maura refused and told her to sit back and enjoy the ride. Jane pouted but did as she was told.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Maura hopped out of the car and ran around to open the door for her wife. Extending a hand, she helped Jane hoist herself out of the car.

"You know Maura. As much as I love riding in this car, it's starting to become a real bitch getting out of it. Maybe we should start taking the Hummer instead."

"But this is so much more fuel efficient than the Hummer."

Jane rolled her eyes at her wife then asked "Where are we going?"

"There." pointed Maura then she bounced up and down and clapped her hands.

"A baby store?'

"Yep."

"But Maur. The baby isn't even born yet. Besides, we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"I know, Jane but you are almost six months pregnant and we haven't gotten one item for the baby. Let's just go and look. It'll be fun."

Jane had her doubts about it but couldn't bring herself to quash Maura's enthusiasm. After a while, Jane found herself enjoying looking at the tiny garments and draping them over her stomach and imagining the tiny person in there wearing them.

They spend about an hour shopping and had paid for their purchases and were headed to lunch when Jane's cell started to ring.

"Rizzoli." she said as she plugged her other ear with her finger to lessen the wind noise of the convertible.

"Janie. It's Frankie."

"Hey, Frankie. What's up? Ma alright?"

"Yah, Jane, she's fine. I'm calling because we got him. We nailed the bastard. He's in a holding cell right now, waiting for us to take a crack at him."

"Oh my god, Frankie. That's great news. Maura and I will head home right away. Tell Ma I love her."

Jane's eyes were dancing with delight as she relayed the message of Casey's arrest to Maura. They hurried home and Maura called the airlines and booked two seats on the next flight to Boston, which would be in three hours.

They were in the bedroom packing when Jane tackled Maura onto the bed.

"Jane! What are you doing?" asked Maura in surprise.

"This." said Jane as she began undressing.

"Oooooh." said Maura and she too began shedding her clothes.

They enjoyed a final love-making session on the Vineyard and a quick shower together before finishing their packing.

"Do you think that making love at home will be as wonderful as it is here?" Maura asked with genuine concern.

"Maur...anywhere I make love with you will be wonderful. It's just that doing it here will always be special. This is where we got married and made love for the first time as a married couple." Jane threw a t-shirt at the blonde and added. "You worry too much."

Tossing the shirt back at the brunette, she said "I guess you're right. What we should worry about is telling your mother that we got married."

"Yah. I thought of that. What will your mother say?" said Jane as she sat down on the edge of the bed and chewed her bottom lip. "Mine's gonna flip when she finds out."

Maura shrugged and said "Mine will probably say _that's nice dear_ like she always does. No big deal."

The pained expression on Maura's face at the nonchalance of her mother hurt Jane to her core. She crossed to her wife and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Maura called Juan from the airport and asked if he would, please close the house back up and thanked him for opening it for them. He said he would be glad to as long as that crazy pregnant lady didn't try to hit him with a vase again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After a short, forty-five minute flight from the Vineyard to Boston, Jane and Maura were greeted by Angela, Frankie, and Korsak.

After hugs were exchanged, Angela took in the whole of Jane and exclaimed about how big Jane had gotten over the last month.

Jane placed her left hand over her belly and rubbed it as she said "Yah. Junior here is really making itself known _and_ it thinks my bladder is the perfect playground. Where is a bathroom, by the way?"

Jane started to look for one when she felt Angela's hand grasp hers. "Did you two get married?! Is that a wedding ring I see on this hand?"

Maura and Jane both blushed and shook their heads.

"Yah Ma. Maura and I got married."

"When? Where?" she fired off quickly.

"A couple days after we arrived on the Vineyard. We went to the JOP."

Frankie and Korsak were congratulating them when Angela screeched again, "I can't believe you got married at the JOP!"

Jane tried to quiet her mother down. "Ma. We'll talk about this later. I really need to talk to Frankie and Vince about the case. My case. Ask Maura for the details. She loves details."

Jane spied a bathroom and quickly ran to it as she called for Frankie and Korsak to have a seat at the coffee shop and that she would be right with them.

She arrived at their table with three cups of coffee, having given Maura and Angela theirs already.

"Married, huh?" asked Frankie as he accepted the cup of coffee.

"Yah. We did it." said Jane as she ran her right hand over her wedding band. "It just seemed like the right place and time to do it, so we did. But enough about that. Tell me what's going on with Casey."

Korsak began. "We have him locked up at headquarters. He isn't owning up to anything but we expected that much."

"Do you have enough on him to hold him? I mean it will be my word against his." Jane said.

"Actually, we have two eye witnesses of his assault on you in that alley and a neighbor of Maura's has come forth and identified him as Maura's shooter."

"That's great, Vince! When's the arraignment?"

Frankie and Korsak exchanged glances.

"What?" asked Jane.

"Well, Janie, it's in about an hour." said Frankie.

"An hour!" exclaimed Jane as she jumped up from her chair, spilling coffee all over. "We've got to go. I need to get changed."

"See Korsak. I told you she would insist on being there."

Korsak shook his head and handed Frankie twenty dollars.


	20. Chapter 20

Jane and Maura arrived at the courtroom with only a few minutes to spare. They were running late because Jane had a hard time finding anything that would fit her because she had gotten so big over the past month. She finally opted for an over-sized white t-short and a blazer on her top and needed to resort to Maura's rubber band trick to hold her pants up. They really needed to go shopping.

The judge entered the courtroom and after all the formalities were taken care of, the arraignment began. Both sides argued the pros and cons of keeping Casey Jones in jail or setting him free on bail until his formal hearing. Finally, after much hashing back and forth on both sides, they called upon Jane to give testimony.

She slid out of her seat beside Maura and walked, self-consciously to the stand. (She was so afraid that the rubber bands would break and her pants would fall down.) She swore that she would tell the truth and began to give her statement. She could feel Casey's eyes boring into her, especially her stomach. When she got to the part about not only fearing for hers and Maura's lives but for the life of her unborn child, the defense spoke up.

"Detective. How far along are you in your pregnancy, if I might ask?"

"I'm almost six months." Jane saw Casey's eyes widen as he did the mental math.

"It's mine!" he yelled as he jumped up from his seat. "That kid is mine!"

Jane went ghost white and broke out into a sweat. She reached up with her left hand to wipe sweat from her upper lip and Casey saw it. Her brand new wedding band glimmering in the light.

"You bitch!" he yelled. "You fucking dyke bitch! You married your fucking dyke lesbian lover and are going to let her raise _my_ kid, aren't you?"

The judge banged his gavel and ordered the defense attorney to get his client under control or he would be removed from the arraignment proceedings.

Casey remained silent but continued to glower at Jane.

"Is this true, detective? Is the child Mr. Jones'?"the judge asked.

"No. Well, technically, yes. He fathered the child while he was _raping_ me." Jane accentuated the word. "But I want him to have nothing to do with it or us." Jane motioned to Maura and herself.

Casey jumped up again and blurted out. "The hell I raped you! You fucked me and you enjoyed every minute of it. You should have just been happy that I'd even agree to touch a lesbo like you. What were you doing, using me to get pregnant so you and Dr. Douche, over there, could have a happy little family. Pretty obvious she won't be able to fuck you the way I did."

"Mr. Jones! Control yourself. One more outburst from you and you will be removed with no chance at bail! Do you hear me?"

The defense council, again, got Casey under control.

Jane went even whiter, if it were possible.

"Do you need a few minutes, detective?" the judge asked in a fatherly tone.

"Ummm. No. Thanks. Let's just get this over with." said Jane as she had both, shaking hands tucked under her arms.

"Very well. Is it also true that you are married to Dr. Isles?"

"Yes. That is true but she is Dr, Isles-Rizzoli now. We are going to raise our baby, together." Jane lifted her chin defiantly as she placed a protective hand on her abdomen.

The judge was satisfied with Jane's answer concerning the baby and asked her to continue giving her testimony about the assault. The rape would be a separate hearing, all together.

Jane finished her testimony and walked shakily back to her seat where she was immediately enveloped in Maura's arms. She heard Casey mumble something to his lawyer but couldn't make out what he said. The judge took a short recess to review the notes before coming back with his decision. It was the longest ten minutes of Jane's life.

The judge returned and sat back down at the bench. "After careful review of the testimony, arguments for and against bail, and review of the defendant's exemplary service record, I rule that bail will be granted to the tune of $750,000.00 dollars. In addition, the defendant will, provided bail is met, go no closer to the victim or her wife than one hundred yards. The hearing will follow on the eighteenth of October. Court is adjourned.

Jane and Maura sat frozen in their seat. Did they hear correctly? He was granted bail, even after his outbursts. The only comfort was that $750,000.00 was a lot of money.

Casey looked back at them and sneered. He then mouthed, _I'll get you, both of you,_ before being led away, back to his cell.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_**Two weeks later**_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Jane. Janie." Frankie called across the bullpen as he exited the elevator.

"What Frankie? What is it?" she asked as she pushed her chair back from her desk and stretched her back. This desk duty was killing her.

"It's him, Janie. It's Jones. He made bail. He's out."

Jane's eyes rounded and she started to shake. "What do you mean, he's out?"

"He came up with the bail money. Seems like he was left a hefty inheritance by his folks. It just took him a while to get the cash released. He's out."

"Oh god, Frankie. Maura and I were just starting to feel safe in our own home again. Now this."

"It'll be alright. Cavanaugh has a protection detail set up for both you and Maura. You'll have a guard around you 24/7 until the trial. Don't worry." He tried to sound reassuring.

"Don't worry!" She blurted. "Frankie. He's already bashed my head off a building and shot Maura in the arm. He also threatened us in the courtroom. How can I not worry? I also have this baby to think about. I wouldn't put it past him to hurt the baby, just so Maura and I can't have it." Tears were now coursing down her face and she was shaking harder than ever.

"Shit, Janie." Frankie moved over and put an arm around his sister and rubbed her back as she clung to his waist and cried.

Maura stepped off the elevator at that exact moment and, not knowing about Casey making bail, hurried over to Jane and Frankie. "Frankie. What is it? What's wrong? Is Angela alright? Jane. Why are you crying?" She asked all these questions in rapid succession, not giving time for an answer.

"Maura." Jane sniffled as she held her hand out to her wife. "He's out on bail. Casey made bail."

Maura paled and sat down on Jane's desk. "Oh no." was all she said before dissolving into tears too.

Frankie proceeded to explain, again, about the 24/7 protection detail being provided for them but it was little comfort, knowing that Casey could shoot either one of them whether they had protection or not.

XXXXXXXXXX

_**One month later **_

XXXXXXXXXX

The past month had gone by fairly uneventful. Jane and Maura were never without their protectors and they tried to go about their business in a normal way. Jane did put her foot down when the patrol cop tried to go in the room with her and Maura for her seven month check-up. The officer reported this to Cavanaugh and, surprisingly, he agreed with Jane.

At seven months pregnant, Jane had developed a bit of a waddle. She tried hard not to walk that way but she was so huge and the pressure on her pelvis was so great that she couldn't help it. Her squad mates kept leaving rubber ducks on her desk and made quacking noises when she walked by, Jane took it all in stride and knew they were trying to keep things normal for her. She did make a loud speech and thanked everyone for the tub toys for the baby, as she lined the ducks up across her desk. Smiling all the while as she rubbed her enormous belly.

To keep Jane from becoming too overwhelmed with desk duty, Cavanaugh would allow her to attend court proceedings for cases she had worked on. This greatly improved her mood and attitude.

She was leaving one such event with Frankie as her guard when he received a phone call

"Wait a minute, Janie. Let me get this before we go outside."

"I'm too hot, Frankie. I'm just going out and stand on the steps. I promise I won't go any further than that."

Frankie grabbed for her arm but, even at seven months pregnant and waddling, Jane was pretty agile and twisted out of his grasp.

In the few seconds it took Frankie to say he'd return the call once they got back to headquarters, Jane had walked outside and right into the waiting gun of Casey Jones.

Jones had Jane down on the steps and had the gun aimed at her stomach. Through his rage and hate, he didn't even hear Frankie yell at him to drop the gun and back away from Jane. Instead he was yelling at her.

"You think I'll let two lesbians raise my kid? You think I'll let it live? You made a mistake, Jane. A big mistake by not letting me be a part of my kid's life! If I can't have my kid, nobody can!" he finished his rant by cocking the 9mm he had aimed at her.

At the last second, Jane rolled to her side and tried to kick Casey's legs out from under him. The gun went off and bits of concrete sprayed into her face and eyes but, thankfully, the bullet missed.

Jones howled with rage and took aim again.

Jane waited for the bullet to pierce her flesh but when she heard the shot, she felt no pain. She only heard a slight moan the the splat of a body landing on the steps next to her. She uncovered her face and looked into the dead, sightless eyes of Casey Jones who had a neat, red hole through the middle of his forehead.

Jane laid her head down on her arms and began to cry. It was over. It was finally over. The bastard was dead and she, Maura, and the baby would be safe.


	21. Chapter 21

Jane felt a hand tighten around her arm. She jumped and screamed as she took a blind swing at whoever it was, afraid that Casey had not been killed after all.

"Janie, Janie. It's me, Frankie." her brother said as he knelt down beside her and started rubbing her back. "Come on, Janie, let's get you away from him."

Jane, eyes red -rimmed, blinked up at her brother and asked "Is he really...?"

"Yah. He is."

"Who did it?"

"Me."

"You? Really?" she asked as she continued to blink. God, her eyes hurt.

"Yah." said Frankie. "He was going to shoot my sister and my niece or nephew. Do you really think I'd be able to face Ma if I let him kill you or the baby?" He thought for a moment then added, "I don't know who I'd be more scared of if anything happened to you on my watch, Ma or Maura."

Jane continued to blink rapidly, saying nothing.

"What's wrong?"

"God, my eyes hurt."

"You must have gotten concrete in them when the bullet struck the steps." He turned her face toward him. "You've got little cuts all over your face and hands as well."

Jane reached up to her face and Frankie grabbed her hand.

"No Jane. Don't rub your eyes. It'll only make it worse."

"It hurts, Frankie." she said as she let out a sigh. "Can you at least get some water and rinse my eyes? I can't see."

Frankie sent a guard into the building for water because he didn't want to leave Jane, especially since she was still lying on the steps next to Casey's dead body.

"You ready to try and get up?" Frankie asked. "I want to get you moved away from him."

"Yah. I think so. Give me a hand, will you."

Frankie bent down and hooked his arm under Jane's arm pit and went to help her up. When he lifted, she pushed off the step with her free hand. All of a sudden, she yelped then collapsed in pain, grabbing her side.

"Janie, what's wrong?"

Jane continued to hold her side and pant as she groaned in pain.

"Oh god." Frankie said. "Did he shoot you?"

Jane shook her head no. Her breathing slowly returned to normal but, despite the coolness of the September morning, she was broke out in a lather of sweat.

"Frankie." she whispered. "Try to help me roll onto my butt. This pressure on my stomach's killing me."

"You sure?" he asked as he knelt down to help her.

"Yah." she panted.

Jane gritted her teeth and hissed in pain as Frankie helped her roll. Sweat poured from her, tears streamed down her face, and all the color had drained from her face by the time they got her into a sitting position.

Frankie sat down on the step above and behind his sister and held her between his knees as he saw her swaying from side to side.

"Frankie." she grunted as she continued to hold her side.

"Yah."

"Thanks."

He barked out a laugh. "You're welcome, I guess. Damn, Janie, can't anything be easy with you? Is the baby alright?"

"I don't think it's the baby." she gasped. "Can you look at my side? That's where it hurts."

Frankie scooted around to Jane's side, moved her coat out of the way (it wouldn't button anymore), and lifted her shirt.

"Oh shit!" he said.

"What?"

"I think you might have bruised a rib or two when you fell."

"I didn't fall. I was pushed down. Does it look bad?"

"Bad enough."

The guard finally came back with the water and Frankie had Jane lean her head back against his chest as he poured the liquid into one eye and then the other.

Jane blinked a few times the whispered "Thanks bro. At least my eyes feel a little bit better."

She rested her head back against his chest and he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Janie." he said.

"Love you too, Frankie." she said in return.

It seemed like it was taking forever for the ambulance to arrive but, in reality, it had only been ten minutes or so since Frankie had shot Casey.

The ambulance finally arrived and a few moments later, the morgue van, followed by Maura in her state-issued Medical Examiner's car.

Maura, white-faced with worry and concern, jumped out of her car and ran up to where Jane and Frankie were sitting. She hadn't even taken the time to close her door.

"Jane!" she cried as she went to throw her arms around her wife in a gripping hug.

"Maura don't!" cried Frankie as he held his hand up in a STOP gesture.

"Why?" she asked as she stopped cold in her tracks.

"I think she might have a bruised rib or two. He knocked her down and she hit her side on the step, trying to protect the baby. She's got a nasty bruise forming."

Maura looked at Jane who nodded in agreement with what Frankie had just told her.

"Let me see." she said as she knelt beside her wife and lifted her shirt. She started to gently probe the area and Jane let out a hiss of pain and grabbed Maura's hand.

"Maura, stop!" Jane yelped as she began panting again.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I think Frankie's right. You probably have a couple bruised ribs. Unfortunately, they won't be able to do x-rays because of your pregnancy."

"Great." Jane said.

Maura instructed her staff to remove the body and take it to the morgue where Dr. Pike would perform the autopsy because she was directly involved in the case and couldn't perform it herself. She also asked them to let Susie know that she would be at the hospital and to call if she needed anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Detective Rizzoli." said Dr. Carter as he entered her room in the ER. "We really must stop meting this way."

"Not my idea, Doc. The cosmos seems to have it in for me lately." she said as she cradled her side.

"I'd guess not. You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you. When are you due?"

"November." Jane said as she tried to smile.

"Getting close." he said.

Jane nodded.

"Let me take a look at those lacerations and at your eyes first, then move onto your ribs."

"Do you think we can wait for Maura to do the rib exam?" Jane asked. "She should be here soon."

"No problem, Detective." He examined her face and eyes then said "Now we wait."

As if she had received a cue from a director, Maura burst through the door. "Jane." she said as she crossed to the gurney and placed a kiss on Jane's lips. A noise in the room made her jump. "Oh, Dr. Carter. I didn't see you."

"That's quite alright, Dr. Rizzoli. You had other things on your mind. We were just waiting for you before I examined your wife's ribs."

"Thank you." she said as she reached for the brunette's hand. "Ready?"

Jane sucked in a shaky, shallow breath and nodded that she was.

After much moaning, yelping, and swearing on Jane's part, Dr. Carter confirmed that she, indeed, had a bruised rib or two.

"Unfortunately, with your condition, there's not a lot we can do. Rest with alternating heat and cold plus the occasional Tylenol is about it, I'm afraid. You might want to splint your side when you move or if the baby's kicking to help minimize the discomfort. You'll also want to keep those facial lacerations clean and dry and use the eye drops twice a day for the next two weeks."

Jane could only nod. She was still unable to talk after Dr. Carter had finished his examination.

Maura spoke for them and said, "Thank you, Dr. Carter."

"You're welcome and I hope to not see you two in here again until the big day arrives." He winked at them and started out the door. He then turned and added, "I'll get your paperwork filled out and we should have you out of here within a half hour."

"Thank you." The women said in unison.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jane and Maura hoped for a quiet evening at home, alone, but it wasn't going to happen. They were barely in the door and got Jane settled on the couch when their first, uninvited, visitor arrived.

Angela Rizzoli burst through their front door laden with bags of groceries, follow by Frankie who carried just as many. Seeing Jane on the couch, in obvious pain and with multiple lacerations on her face, she dropped her bags and went running over to give her daughter a hug.

"No Ma!" Jane said. "Please don't. My ribs won't be able to handle it."

Maura bit her lip to prevent herself from yelling at Angela to stop.

"Oh baby. My poor, poor baby." Angela said as she looked for a way to comfort Jane.

"I'm alright, Ma. I just hurt a bit, that's all."

"The baby?"

"The baby's fine. Believe me, I feel every kick." 'The baby seemed to take that as a cue and gave her a healthy kick which caused her to wince in pain.

"Oooh..." said Angela. "If that Casey Jones wasn't dead, I'd kill him myself for everything he's put you and my daughter-in-law through. I'm just glad Frankie was such a good shot!" Angela beamed at her son with pride, even though he had taken a life today.

Jane looked pleadingly at Maura and said "Maur, do you think you could take Ma into the kitchen and..." She let the last of her sentence trail off.

Maura looked quizzically at Jane then understood when Jane jutted her chin toward Frankie. Maura figured she wanted some alone time with him.

"Oh sure." Maura said. "Angela, let's get the groceries and take them into the kitchen. We can start dinner while Frankie and Jane relax."

Angela eyed her children then agreed.

Frankie walked over and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. "How you doin', sis?"

"Not bad. How are you?"

He shrugged. "It was determined that it was a legit shooting, so I'm not in any kind of trouble They just gave me a couple of paid days off to, you know..."

Jane reached out and took his hand. "That's great, Frankie, but how are _you_ doing? It's never easy to kill someone, no matter how much of a scumbag they are."

Frankie teared up as he looked at his sister. "I had to do it. I had to kill him. He was going to kill you and the baby." He placed his hand on Jane's stomach and gave it a gentle rub. "I can live with killing Casey but I could never live without you. I love you, Jane."

Jane's eyes also filled with tears. "Thanks Frankie. I needed that." She trapped his hand with hers on her stomach, glad that Frankie finally accepted the baby." "Now, help me up."

"Why? I thought you just got comfortable."

"Yah. I did but...I gotta pee!"

They both chuckled as Frankie helped Jane to her feet.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Warning: sex scene**_

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of Jane's seventh month passed without difficulty, thank goodness. Her ribs were healing nicely as were the lacerations on her face. She and Maura did require counseling to help them get through all of the trauma they had suffered over the last seven months, thanks to Casey. They chose Dr. Meyer as their therapist. He had done such a wonderful job of helping Jane through her rape that they felt he would be the best man for the job. They were not disappointed. They also convinced Frankie to go and talk with Dr. Meyer, as he was having difficulties from his killing of Casey.

Jane's stomach continued to grow larger and her energy level waned. She could often be found, after lunch, on Maura's couch fast asleep for about an hour or so. Cavanaugh knew he should be pissed at her for this but after what she had been through an afternoon nap was well deserved so he said nothing. She got her work done, that was all that mattered. Besides, she was so huge she almost was in need of her own postal code, he thought.

One afternoon, as Jane was nearing her eighth month, she waddled into the autopsy room and made the announcement to Maura that she was tired and was going to take the rest of the day off and go home and sleep.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Maura asked as blood dripped off her gloved hands and onto the floor.

"Nah. I'll be fine. I just need some sleep. Besides, looks like you're going to be busy for the rest of the day. I'll get a patrol to take me home."

Maura knew that Jane hadn't been sleeping well, her recurring nightmares had wakened both of them night after night, and understood her need to go home. "Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Thanks." Jane waddled over and lifted Maura's protective mask and placed a kiss on her lips before pulling the shield back down, turning and waddling out the door.

"Call me if you need me. I love you." Maura called to her wife's retreating back.

"I will. I love you." Jane called out in return and stepped onto the elevator.

XXXXXXXXXX

Maura arrived home to find Jane sprawled on the couch sound asleep with her coat and shoes still on. She quietly walked over and stood there, just looking at her wife. God, she loved this beautiful brunette with the deep, dark chocolate eyes. She didn't know what she would have done or if she could have continued on with her own life, had Casey succeeded in killing her. She wiped a stray tear from her face and walked over to take Jane's shoes off her.

Jane jerked awake at Maura's light touch. "Wha..? Oh, Maur..." she said groggily. "You scared me."

"Sorry sweetheart. I was just taking your shoes off."

Jane tried to sit up but found that she was lying on her coat and couldn't move. She flopped back down with a groan.

Maura saw what was happening and giggled as she moved from Jane's feet to her head to help her up.

When she leaned down, Jane noticed a tear that was still clinging to her wife's lashes. Touching it, gently with her forefinger, Jane said "What's this?"

Maura sat down on the couch and cradled Jane's head in her lap before spilling. "I came home and was looking at you and thought about all that had happened and about what could have happened and I guess I got a bit emotional."

"Maura." Jane said her name in a voice barely above a whisper as she reached up and wrapped an arm around the blonde's neck to bend her down for a kiss.

The kiss started out soft and gentle but soon became passionate and almost frenzied as Maura slipped off the couch and knelt on the floor beside Jane. Hands were all over bodies. Lips, tongues, and teeth explored mouths, faces, ears, and necks. It had been a while since they had had sex and they were both in need of that intimacy.

Breathless and gasping, Maura said "Upstairs."

Jane tried to get up but was inhibited not only by her coat but also by the sheer bulk of her enormous stomach.

Maura came o the rescue and stripped Jane's coat from her and flung it across the room as she gabbed the brunette's hand and raced her toward the stairs.

The piles of discarded clothing began on the first landing and continued up the stairs and into their bedroom where they stood beside their king-sized bed, locked in a passionate kiss and embrace. Their hands were moving all over each others body, touching and enjoying being touched.

Jane was sorry that her stomach was so huge because that meant she couldn't get any closer to her beloved. She compensated by moving Maura to her side and pulling her in closer then, with a wicked gleam in her eye, hooked her leg around Maura's and the two of them tumbled onto the bed.

"Nice move, detective." Maura said in a husky voice then resumed her ministrations.

As passions built they realized their positions, half on and half off the bed, were not conducive to their next phase of love making so Maura jumped off the bed and helped Jane swing her legs up onto it. Then she just stood there, looking, loving.

Jane, eyes glazed with passion, said "Don't stare at me. I'm the size of a beached whale and far from sexy."

"Never." said Maura, voice still husky. "Never will you not be the sexiest being alive." Maura crawled onto the bed and positioned herself between Jane's legs. She abandoned, several months ago, the touching of Jane's breasts because they were so tender.

Jane closed her eyes and, with whole body tingling, waited for Maura's expert touch. She didn't wait long.

Maura, knowing how sensitive and tender Jane's pelvic region was due to the pressure and stress of her pregnancy, bent down and gently flicked her tongue over the engorged clitoris in front of her.

Jane let out a moan.

Maura increased her pressure and began moving her tongue in circles, one way and then the other. She then slipped two fingers into Jane. When Jane let out a gasp and not a moan, Maura knew it was too much and withdrew them as she continued her assault on Jane's clitoris with her tongue. She moved it faster and faster as she heard her wife's breathing increase. Just before Jane exploded with pleasure, Maura shifted her position so she was straddling Jane's leg and began moving herself up and down the brunette's calf.

Maura thought she was going to come before Jane and she switched to her hand to bring Jane home. She had barely begun her finger assault when Jane arched up and began thrashing about wildly. This was what Maura needed to bring herself home and she also was moaning with pleasure and release.

Breathless and spent, they lay side by side holding each other and placing tender kisses on wherever their lips fell.

"That," gasped Jane. "was about the greatest sex I've ever had."

"You say that every time." teased Maura.

"Maybe that's because you just keep getting better and better." Jane grinned at her. "Good thing I left early and got a nap in before you got home."

Maura smiled, a look of devilment in her eyes. "Want to go another round?"

Jane _loved_ sex but she just didn't think she had the energy to go again, right now. "Hmmm. Maybe in a bit."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" The blonde asked with concern.

"No. Not really. Everything down there just seems so..." Jane was at a loss as to how to describe the feeling.

Maura nodded her head. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"You didn't. It was fabulous. As soon as I get my energy back, I'm going to give that fabulousness back to you." Jane gave Maura one of her famous double-dimple smiles and placed a kiss on Maura's forehead.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

Laughing, Jane said "I'm sure you will."

They fell asleep in each others arms, thinking of their date between the sheets later that evening.

XXXXXXXXXX

They were awakened from their peaceful, post-coital slumber by a banging downstairs. Then they heard footsteps on the stairs as the unmistakable sound of Angela Rizzoli's voice.

"Jane? Maura? Are you her...ooh, ummm." She faltered.

"Ma's seen our clothes strewn all over the steps." Jane said as she bit her lip and tried to stifle a giggle.

Maura tried and failed to stifle hers and her giggle became an all out laugh as she pictured the look on Angela's face at the clothes thrown hither and yawn.

"We're here, Ma." said Jane as she elbowed Maura in the ribs. "We'll be down in a, um, minute."

They heard Angela's footsteps retreat back downstairs and they both broke into fits of giggles.

"You know." said Jane between chuckles. "No matter how old I get, there's nothing like being caught doing it by your mother."

A few minutes later Jane and Maura made their way downstairs, hair askew and clothing haphazardly put on. Maura had even put her sweatshirt on back to front and had to excuse herself to the powder room to correct it.

"So, Ma, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Maura heard Jane say as she emerged from the powder room.

"Your brother said you left work early because of fatigue. Clearly he was mistaken."

"He's right. I left and came home and took a nap."

"Ummhmmm."

Jane's face was becoming redder and redder under her mother's scrutiny. "I was tired and did take a nap until Maura came home and...why am I explaining this to you? I'm a married woman."

Maura reentered the living room and sat down on the arm of Jane's chair and passed an arm around her shoulders.

"We were sleeping when you arrived, Angela." said Maura.

"You can't fool me. I saw the clothes all over the place. It's your house."

"Glad you've finally realized that, Ma." said Jane. "Not that we aren't happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, Frankie said you came home early because you were tired and I figured I'd make you two some supper so you could relax. Clearly, I should have brought cigarettes instead."

All three women burst out laughing.


	23. Chapter 23

Jane was officially one-half of the way into her eighth month of pregnancy. She was becoming more and more irritable as the moments toward her maternity leave, at the end of the next week, ticked closer and closer. Sure, her back was killing her, her feet were swelling, and she had to pee every thirty seconds but she just wasn't ready to stop working yet. Actually, she didn't know when she would ever be ready to stop working. She loved her job and the people she worked with. She didn't know how she would have survived these past eight months without them.

Jane felt a bout of emotion coming on and shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. This wasn't working. She tried and tried again to push the thoughts of her love for her co-workers out of her mind. They just wouldn't pass. The last straw before the dam broke was Korsak coming into the squad room with a hot cup of decaf and a blueberry muffin for her. When he sat them down and called her "sweetie", that was it.

"Jane. What's going on?" asked Korsak with genuine concern in his baritone voice.

"D-d-damn hormones." Jane said as she searched her cluttered desk for a tissue.

Korsak came to her rescue by handing her his hankie, which only made her cry harder.

"T-t-thanks." she stammered as she wiped her tears. "Everything makes me cry and I hate it!"

"That's alright, sweetie. Come on. I think you need to get some fresh air. Walk outside with me." Korsak said as he held a hand out to her.

Jane heaved herself out of her chair and put her coat on before grabbing her muffin, coffee, and Korsak's hand. "Let's go." she said with an attempt at a smile.

They walked hand in hand toward the elevator. Just as they approached, the doors opened and Maura stepped out.

"Should I be jealous?" Maura asked as she saw Jane and Vince holding hands.

"Jealous?" they both asked at the same time.

Maura grinned as she pointed to their interlaced hands.

"Oh, this." Korsak said as he lifted their joined hands. "I was just going outside for some air and asked Jane to go with me. Honest, Maura, that's all."

Maura and Jane burst out laughing.

"She's joking, Vince." Jane said as she leaned in to give Maura a kiss.

"I knew that." Korsak said, defensively. "I just didn't want Maura thinking that I was taking you out to a scene or anything."

"I trust her completely." said Maura as she winked at Korsak.

"Wait." said Jane. "Why are you here, not that I'm not happy to see you but you rarely come up here without a reason."

"Well. I was actually coming up to give Sgt. Korsak the results of the autopsy I've just completed. They are quite interesting." Maura mentally kicked herself when she saw Jane's eyes brighten.

"Interesting? Interesting, how?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I can come back after the two of you get back from your outing."

"Maura. spill!" said Jane as she placed her bulk between Maura and the elevator.

Korsak let out a breath and nodded at Maura to go ahead with her report. He knew better than to try and block Jane from the results. She would find a way to get them out of someone.

"Well. The external exam showed no marks, whatsoever."

"None?" asked Jane.

"None." said Maura.

"If there were no marks, what killed her?" asked Jane becoming more and more interested.

"This is where it becomes interesting."

Jane gave her a _hurry up_ gesture.

Maura started to talk again when Jane grabbed her stomach with her free hand while she tried to shove her coffee and muffin at Korsak.

"Jane, what's wrong?" Korsak asked as he took the items from her.

"Let's get you sat down." said Maura as she grasped Jane's arm and led her back to her desk.

"What's going on?" asked Korsak.

"Braxton-Hicks contractions." Jane and Maura said at the same time.

Korsak nodded, dumbly, as he followed the women back into the squad room.

Jane sat down with a grunt and rubbed her protruding abdomen.

"Better?" asked Maura.

"Yes. Thanks. Could you get me some water?"

"I'll get it." said Korsak and he put the coffee and muffin on Jane's desk then went off after the water.

"How often are you getting the Braxton-Hicks?" Maura asked.

"Not often. Mostly when I've been on my feet too much." Jane said, still rubbing her belly.

"Are you sure you're alright? Do you need to go to the doctor and get examined?"

"Maur, I'm fine. I was just standing too long. I promise."

Korsak returned with a bottle of water and Jane took a long drink.

"Thanks. I needed that." Jane said before she turned her gaze to Maura and asked her to continue with the autopsy results.

"Ok. Yes." Maura said then opened the folder to her findings. "The interesting part came when I examined the inside of the skull."

Jane grunted and Maura's gaze snapped in her direction. Just Jane being Jane and impatient for the results.

"It appears that death was caused by hydrochloric acid being dripped into the nostrils and seeping into the brain, thereby causing death."

Both Jane and Korsak hissed and winced as they grabbed their noses.

"Ouch!" said Jane.

"Yes." said Maura. "Not a pretty way to die."

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night Maura and Jane were lying in bed after an unsuccessful attempt at love-making to which Jane would not stop apologizing for, when she asked, "Was there any indication that the victim, with the acid up her nose, had been hung upside down?"

Maura, taken aback by Jane's sudden shift from sorry for not being able to perform to work, asked "Excuse me?"

"The victim. Was there any indication that she was hung upside down while the acid was going into her nose?"

"Actually, no, now that I think about it. There were no petechial hemorrhages in the eyes. You're amazing, Jane. You didn't even see the body. How did you deduce that?"

"You didn't mention it and it got me thinking. Do you think we could go and look at the scene tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Jane. You're supposed to be on desk duty."

"It's not like I'm going to be chasing down any perps. I only want to look. Come on, Maura. Let me feel useful."

After much silence and contemplation, Maura agreed to take Jane to the scene and allow her to see where the body was found.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jane was awakened at about 3:30am by cramping in her lower abdomen. "Damn Braxton-Hicks." she muttered as she rolled onto her side to try and get comfortable again.

"Jane?" Maura asked, throat thick with sleep. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Jane grumbled. "Just can't get comfortable. Sorry I woke you."

Maura rolled toward her wife and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek before laying back down and starting to snore.

"At least one of us can sleep." Jane murmured as another cramp hit her.

Maura continued to snore lightly and was unaware that Jane was having any discomfort.

Sighing, Jane got up and waddled into the bathroom, figuring the discomfort was the result of her over-full bladder.

After she relieved herself, she did feel better. She thought about going back to bed but decided to go downstairs and get something to drink instead after seeing that the alarm was due to go off in about thirty minutes.

Maura came stumbling downstairs about forty-five minutes later, looking for her wife. "There you are." she said as she spied Jane curled up on the couch. Jane didn't move and Maura heard her softly snoring. She quietly approached the couch and drew the afghan over Jane's shoulders. She would give her a bit longer before she got her up to get ready for work.

Maura was in the kitchen having a cup of tea when she heard noises from the living room.

"Maur?" Jane called. "What time is it?"

"A little after 8:30. Why do you ask?"

"After 8:30? Oh, shit. Cavanaugh's going to kill me."

"Don't worry. I called him and told him that we were going to be a little late today. He said to take our time. Are you hungry?"

"Not really. I think I just want to take a shower and head to the scene then to the precinct."

Maura thought it was strange that Jane didn't want to eat because she was always hungry these days but didn't say anything. She just walked over to the couch and helped Jane up then followed her upstairs.

While Jane was in the shower, Maura came in and asked "Have you given any more thought to baby names? We really need to decide. You could have the baby any day now."

"Really, Maur? You're asking me about baby names while I'm shampooing my hair?"

"No time like the present." Maura said with a hint of a smile in her voice.

Jane knew it was hopeless and said "Alright. We both liked Lucia Clare if it's a girl and I still like Mario if it's a boy. Mario Liam."

"I know you like Mario but wasn't that what Tommy wanted to name TJ?"

"Yah but I really like it."

"Then that settles it." said Maura. "Lucia Clare Isles-Rizzoli for a girl and Mario Liam Isles-Rizzoli for a boy."

Jane had gotten quiet and Maura became concerned.

"Jane? Everything alright?"

Jane waited until the contraction passed before answering. "I'm alright. I just had soap in my eye. I rinsed it out and everything's better."

"Ok." said Maura. "I'll wait for you in the bedroom.

"SHIT!" said Jane under her breath as another contraction hit and she doubled over in pain.


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks everyone for the notes and PM's. I appreciate them. Here's the update you have been asking for. I hope you like it. I promise at least one more this weekend. Xx**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Panting, sweating, and a bit shaky, Jane made her way to the commode and sat down. She knew she should tell Maura about the contractions but she also knew that if she told Maura, her day was over before it started. The brunette knew it was selfish of her to want to see the crime scene but she wanted to help with the case _and_ had read the books and remembered that they all said that first babies take a long time.

"Jane?" came Maura's concerned voice from the other side of the door. "Is everything alright? You've been in there quite a while. Do you need me to come in and help you?"

Jane hadn't had a contraction since she sat down and figured it was safe to tell Maura to come in, after all, she did need help drying herself. "Sure Maura. Come on in. I was just resting."

The blonde entered and found Jane on the commode. "You look exhausted, sweetheart."

"I feel exhausted. Could you help me to the bed? I think I just need to lay down a bit and rest. That shower took it right out of me."

"Of course." said Maura as she hooked her arm under Jane's and helped her to the bed.

When Jane laid down, the towel slid from her and revealed a huge abdomen projecting in the air. Maura leaned down and planted a soft kiss on it. Jane squirmed.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Maura asked in genuine confusion.

"Look at me and kiss me like that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm huge. I'm like my own postal code."

Maura chuckled. "You _are_ quite large."

Jane looked stricken by Maura's statement and she quickly added, "I think it's just how the baby is laying in your uterus. I didn't mean anything by it."

Jane reached out and grabbed Maura's hand. "Maur," she began, "I'm scared to have this baby. From the size of me, I think the kid's going to be at least twelve pounds. It scares the hell out of me when I think of pushing something that big out of an opening that small." She indicated with a hand gesture to her pelvic region.

Maura laid down beside her and gentle as she could, caressed Jane's abdomen. "I know you're scared. I would be too. Know this and remember it, I will be right beside you through the entire process. From the moment your water breaks until we are holding that little one in our ares, I _will_ be there. I love you, Jane. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of loving another person and I love our baby."

Tears were flowing down Jane's face after Maura's pledge of undying love to her and the baby. She reached up and pulled her beloved wife down to her and cried into her hair as she croaked out, "I love you too, Maura. I couldn't imagine my life without you, especially after all we've been through. I would give my life for you and this baby."

Now it was Maura's turn to cry. They laid there and hugged and kissed for a few moments before Jane announced that she needed to use the bathroom. They both chuckled as Maura helped her up, still naked from the shower, and walked with her into the bathroom, only pausing long enough to grab Jane's socks and sneakers.

"What are those for?" Jane asked as she saw the socks and shoes in Maura's hand.

"I figured I would put them on you while you were using the commode. After all, you will be seated and won't have to try and balance."

Jane thought a moment then said, "Good idea. If it weren't for you, I would never be able to get shoes on. It's been months since I've seen my feet."

Maura put Jane's socks and shoes on her then left her alone to finish while she went to get Jane's clothes out of the closet.

"What would you like to wear today?" Maura called, head in the closet.

When Jane didn't answer, Maura looked into the master bath to make sure she was alright (Jane had been acting odd this morning). What she saw brought a smile to her lips. Jane was standing sideways and looking at her profile in the mirror with a huge smile on her face while rubbing her hand up and down her enormous abdomen.

"Not too much longer, baby." Maura heard her whisper.

Maura pulled back so Jane wouldn't see her _invading_ on a private, tender moment and said again "What would you like to wear today?"

"Ummm. Don't freak out but I think I want to wear that dark blue dress you bought me. You know, the one I wear when we go out to dinner."

"Really? A dress?"

"Yah. A dress. Over the past week or two the waistbands have gotten pretty uncomfortable and I just don't feel like having my middle squeezed today. That one would be alright for work, wouldn't it?"

Maura wondered if there was something more going on with her wife but went along with her. She knew Jane would tell her, unfortunately in her own sweet time, if anything was happening. "Yes. That dress would be fine to wear to work. Do you want any leggins? It is cold out. You know, November in Boston."

Jane chewed her bottom lip then said. "Let's take the leggins with us in case I get cold but being I am carrying around my own, personal blast furnace I doubt I will."

Maura chuckled as she helped Jane get dressed.

"My goodness." Maura said as she tried to pull the zipper up.

"What?"

"You have gotten bigger since you last wore this."

"Maura!" Jane whined.

"Just more of you to love." Maura said as she finally got the zipper the whole way up and moved around to plant a kiss on Jane's soon-to-be-protesting lips.

The kiss worked and Jane forgot all about protesting. "Three more weeks." she said instead. "Three more weeks and this, she rubbed her belly, will be gone and we will have a baby."

Maura hugged her then said, "Let's go and feed that baby. You haven't eaten a thing since last night. You have to be starved."

Jane chewed her top lip this time and said, "Actually, I'm not hungry. Maybe just some orange juice."

Maura eyed her with the eye of, not her wife but with the eye of a doctor and said "Is there something you need to tell me? You haven't turned down food since your morning sickness went away. Are you sure nothing is happening?"

_Gulp._ "I'm sure. I'm just not hungry, right now."

"Okay. If you're sure." Maura said as she set a large glass of orange juice down in front of Jane.

"I'm sure." Jane said with what she hoped was a convincing smile and drank her juice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes and one more bathroom stop later, they were out the door and headed to the crime scene that Jane made Maura promise she would take her to.

"I'm not sure what you're hoping to find that the crime scene techs would have missed. They scoured the area quite thoroughly." Maura said as they drove.

"Just a fresh set of eyes." Jane said in return. She had just finished biting back a gasp as a somewhat painful contraction ended. _Ouch!_

"You know that Cavanaugh is going to have my head, figuratively and not literally, if he finds out I brought you to the crime scene. You are to be on desk duty and nothing else."

Jane rolled her eyes then took a deep breath as another twinge occurred in her lower abdomen which passed as soon as it started. "Maura, look at me. Does it look like I could chase anything down right now. I only want to look. This case is interesting. I mean, how did the killer get the acid up her nose and into her brain if there were no signs of her being hung upside down?"

"That's true. I'm curious about that part too. I didn't find any burn on or in the nares but did find the burns in the sinus cavity and on up into the brain. This is a weird one."

"After we leave here, do you think you could sneak me down to the morgue to see the body?"

Maura chuckled. "_Sneaking_ you anywhere right now would be a near impossibility."

"Thanks a lot, Maura." Jane said with disgust but Maura could see the corners of Jane's eyes crinkle in amusement. "You know what I mean."

Jane went to say more but a hard contraction gripped her and rendered her speechless. She grabbed her abdomen with her right hand and hoped that the movement wouldn't be seen by the eagle eyes of her wife, who missed very little. She held her breath and counted to ten as the contraction eased up.

"Jane?" Maura asked.

"What?"

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"Yah, why?"

"I asked you a question and you didn't answer. When I looked over, you had a look of pain on your face, were holding your breath, and were holding your stomach. Fess up. What's going on?"

_Yikes, busted. Think fast Rizzoli._ "I'm more than alright. The baby kicked my bladder and it was a way less than pleasant experience. I was trying, very hard, not to pee on your front seat." _High five yourself Rizzoli,I think she bought it._

Maura paused and looked at Jane a bit more before she got out of the car and around to help Jane out.

_Maybe you're not as cleaver as you thought,Rizzoli._

Maura held Jane's hand as they walked into the warehouse.

"Where was the body found?" asked Jane as she resisted the urge to rub her achy stomach.

"Over here." said Maura as she lead the way. "She was found lying amongst these cardboard boxes."

Another contraction squeezed Jane's abdomen and she turned away from Maura so she wouldn't read the discomfort on her face and acted like she was taking in the scene.  
Maura was closely observing Jane because she still felt there was something going on that Jane wasn't telling her about.

"Do you see something?" Maura asked as she watched Jane 'take in' the scene.

Jane blew out a long (and cleansing) breath. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I do see something. Over there by that pallet."

"Where? What do you see?" Maura asked. She couldn't believe crime scene would have missed something but she had worked with Jane long enough to know that Jane could see things nobody else could.

"Right there." Jane was walking and pointing. "I would retrieve it myself but..." she gestured to her abdomen.

"Oh my god, Jane. How did you see that?" Maura had squatted down for a closer look. "Wait here and I'll go and get an evidence collection bag. Don't go anywhere."

"Maur. Where am I going to go?" asked Jane as she finally gave in and rubbed her belly as another contraction held her in it's grasp.


	25. Chapter 25

"Jane. This is a spinal needle. How did you ever see something so thin. I know they are long but the diameter is so tiny. I can't believe you saw it from across the room. You're amazing." said Maura as she looked at her wife in awe.

Taking this as an opportunity to rub her aching stomach, Jane said "I guess when you have two pairs of eyes instead of one, it makes a difference." She continued to rub even after she made her point then stopped when she saw Maura watching her.

Maura opened her mouth to speak then closed it.

_Look out Rizzoli. She's on to you. You should know by now that you can't get away with anything._

Maura's brow furrowed as it did when she was deep in thought.

_Maybe you will get away with this charade a bit longer, Rizzoli._

Maura stood up and observed the needle under a light. "That's how the killer did it." she said in triumph. "He eased the needle into the brain through the nares and pushed the acid into the brain through it."

Jane shuddered, not from the thought of a needle going into her brain or the acid bath following it, but from the contraction she felt building. "Ouch!" she said as she earned an Oscar by grabbing her nose like she was envisioning it happening to her.

"Quite ingenious if you ask me." said Maura, still in thought.

The contraction was just a small one and Jane dropped her hand from her nose to her stomach. "Should we head back to HQ and take a look?" she suggested. Jane was wanting to get off her feet.

"Yes. This is a tremendous find, Jane. I think you might have helped us blow this case wide open." Maura beamed at her as she grabbed Jane's arm and walked her out to the car.

Jane prayed another contraction wouldn't hit her as the walked arm in arm. She wasn't sure how she could hide it with Maura at her side.

XXXXXXXXXX

They made it back to HQ with Jane only having a few twinges so she was able to carry on a normal conversation the whole time. This helped to ease Maura's suspicions that Jane wasn't telling her something.

"Oh." said Jane.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Could we stop there?" Jane pointed out the window to a Red Robin restaurant.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving and we (Jane rubbed her belly and gave Maura a Cheshire cat grin) could really go for a bonsai burger."

Maura was thrilled that Jane's appetite was back and would have gladly slaughtered the cow herself if it meant Jane was going to eat. "Of course we can stop."

"Great." said Jane with child-like enthusiasm. "First stop...the bathroom! Oh, and Maur, get a table. I don't think I'll fit in a booth." Jane chuckled.

_No contractions for a while and I'm hungry. Hummm._

The food arrived and Jane attacked hers like she hadn't eaten for a week.

"Slow down, Jane." Maura reprimanded. "You're going to choke."

Jane, mouth full of bonsai burger, said "Sorry. I'm just so hungry."

Maura laughed. "Good to see you have your appetite back. I was getting worried that you were in labor and weren't telling me."

_Yikes!_ "No. I just wasn't hungry this morning. I think I was just thinking too much about how scared I am to push all of this out of me." _Back off Rizzoli. Maura can smell your bullshit from miles away!_

"Oh. Okay." said Maura, still not convinced that Jane was keeping secrets. "You would tell me, wouldn't you?"

Jane, a fry in hand and lettuce sticking out of the corner of her mouth, asked "What?"

"You would tell me if you were in labor, right?"

_Gulp._ Jane swallowed more than her food then said "Of course I would tell you. Stop worrying."

"It's just that I know you and I know how you like to internalize everything until the last minute."

_She has you pegged Rizzoli._ "I promise that I will tell you the moment I am sure I am in labor."

"The moment you're sure? Have you been having contractions?"

_SHIT!_ "Just one or two, off and on. Nothing major. Nothing has happened for quite a while."

"What do you mean by for a while?"

_Dammit Rizzoli. How do you get yourself into this?_ "I mean I haven't had one since this morning." She looked at her watch and saw it was after noon so she had technically not lied to Maura.

Maura still didn't believe Jane but let the subject drop. "You ready to go?" she asked instead.

"Yes." Jane said with a smile as she rubbed her bulging abdomen, "We are ready to go."

XXXXXXXXXX

When they arrived back at headquarters, Maura deposited Jane at her desk with a kiss and hurried down to the morgue to test their theory of the spinal needle being the way the hydrochloric acid was delivered to the brain of the victim.

Jane, on the other hand, did not fare as well. She had a mountain of papers on her desk and started having contractions again. Just as the contraction started easing, she heard Cavanaugh bellow her name from his office.

"Rizzoli. Get in here!" he yelled.

_Geez. She was pregnant not deaf._ "Coming Lieu." She said as she heaved herself from her chair and waddled across the bullpen to his office.

"Sit down, Rizzoli." he said a few decibels lower.

She sat and wondered why she had been summoned. Sure, they were late coming in but Maura said she had cleared it with him. She wasn't sure why she was in the hot seat.

"How you feeling?" he started.

"Not bad. Tired." she said.

"God, Rizzoli. You look like you should have popped weeks ago."

She laughed. "I feel like I should have popped weeks ago." Cavanaugh wasn't one for chit-chat and she wondered what the real reason was for her being in his office.

He cleared his throat.

_Here it comes._

"I understand that you and Dr. Isles-Rizzoli visited a crime scene this morning."

_Gulp! How did he find out?_ "Yes. I asked her to take me there so I could just look around. Lieu, I swear, I only looked around."

"I should be pissed at you and suspend you but..." he gestured at her bulk.

"I'm sorry, Lieu. I was just feeling so out of the loop."

"Take it easy, Jane. My understanding is you spotted something that the crime scene techs missed and it was the key to this investigation. Dr. Isles-Rizzoli confirmed the spinal needle was the vessel by which the acid was delivered to the victim. Good job, Jane."

Contraction. Hard. _OUCH!_ "Thanks." she panted out.

"You alright? You look a bit pale. Do I need to call Maura?"

The contraction ended. "No. The baby just kicked my bladder, again, and it's a bit uncomfortable. Do you mind if I...?"

"No, no. Go right ahead."

Jane waddled as fast as she could to the ladies room. Not only did she have to go but she felt like she might have to throw up also and throw up she did. Something was definitely happening. Like it or not she was going to have to tell Maura.

Jane reached out to pick up her phone and call her wife when it began ringing. "Rizzoli." she said as her standard greeting.

"Jane. It was a perfect match." said Maura excitedly on the other end of the line. "I discovered a small hole in the sinus cavity that the needle fit into. You did it. You found the murder weapon. I was even able to pull a couple prints off of it."

Silence on the other end of the line.

"Jane? Are you there?"

Grunt. Pant.

"Jane?"

No answer but heavy breathing.

"Hang on, sweetie. I'm on my way up."

XXXXXXXXXX

The elevator dinged and Jane heard the fast clicking of Maura's heels as she dashed across the bullpen to her desk. "What happened?" she demanded.

"I had a contraction. A strong one. It's over now."

Maura spotted the bottle of mouthwash on Jane's desk and picked it up. "What was this for?"

_God, does she miss nothing?_ "I got sick and rinsed my mouth out. Look in the trash can. I spit in there."

"Sick? As in emesis?"

"Yes. Puked, barfed, tossed my cookies, take your pick."

"I think we need to get you to the hospital right away."

"I'm fine. I just ate too fast. You were right."

"What about the contraction?"

"That was the first one since this morning. I'll time them and let you know when I have another." Jane flashed her a double-dimpled smile and hoped Maura would buy it.

This wasn't completely true. She did have another when she was in Cavanaugh's office but that was only a small one so it didn't count, did it?

Maura gave Jane a look that mirrored one her mother, Angela, would give. Jane shuddered at the thought. She wasn't wanting her mother to know she was having contractions. In fact, she didn't want her mother to know anything until the baby was born. _Yah, right._

Jane made it through the last few hours of work with only a few more contractions and no more bouts of vomiting. Maura called her every half hour to check on her. She knew she shouldn't be annoyed with Maura but did Maura really think that she wouldn't call her when something major happened? Maura was just being Maura and Jane was grateful for that.

At 5:00pm, Maura stepped off the elevator to collect Jane and take her home. She walked toward Jane's desk and didn't see her. She looked around the bullpen and still couldn't find her. Panic started to set in then she heard the commode flush in the ladies room. Maura almost laughed with relief when Jane waddled out.

"Ready to go home?" she asked, hoping that her voice didn't betray the moment of panic she had just felt.

"Absolutely!" Jane said. "Let me get my purse and coat."

"I'll get them." said Maura as she brushed past her wife and grabbed her things.

"Thanks." said Jane as she watched her wife snatch up her belongings. "In a rush to get home?"

"Yes. Actually I am."

"Why? Got a hot date tonight?" Jane said with a smirk.

"Ummm." Maura chewed her bottom lip.

"What, Maur?"

"Ummm. Your family's coming over for dinner." Maura blurted it out quickly, like removing a band-aid fast so it wouldn't hurt.

_What? No! _"Oh no." moaned Jane as she was hit with another contraction.


	26. Chapter 26

"Jane?" Maura said, voice a few octaves higher than usual. "Is it another contraction?"

Jane gritted her teeth and grunted, "Yes but it's almost over."

"When was the last time you had one?"  
"When you were up here earlier. After I threw up."

"Are you sure? We could go to the hospital."

"Of course I'm sure. I know a contraction when I feel one. I think your, um, news brought it on. I was really hoping for a nice, quiet evening at home. Just the two of us. How did this happen?"

"Your mother called and wanted to have one more dinner before the baby. How could I tell her no?"

"Repeat after me...NO!"

Both Jane and Maura laughed.

"Come on. Take me home. I'm hoping to get a nap in before I have to deal with my family."

"We could cancel and head to the hospital."

"No. My contractions are every hour and a half to two hours apart. You know they'll just send me home and tell me to come back when they are closer together. Let's just get through this dinner and see how things are then, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh, one other thing...please don't tell my mother about the contractions. That's all I need."

Maura grinned because she knew how Angela could get. The complete opposite of Jane. Where Jane internalized everything, Angela spoke her mind. "Agreed." she said as they walked out the front door of BPD.

"Wow!" said Jane as she tried and failed to pull her coat tighter around her. "It's really gotten cold since we came in. Looks like it could snow."

Maura gazed around at the fast building gray clouds and said "I think you might be right. It has gotten colder." She shivered as she pressed the unlock button on her key chain then opened the passengers door to help Jane inside.

Their drive home was uneventful and Maura busied herself tidying up their already spotless home while Jane crashed and in record time began snoring on the couch. Maura covered her with an afghan that Angela had made for them as a wedding present then tip-toed up the stairs for a look around the nursery.

Maura walked in and ran her hand over the head board of the sleigh-bed crib that she and Jane had fallen in love with on first sight. She then smoothed and straightened the tiny sheets and then moved onto the changing table to, once again, make sure they had enough diapers and wet wipes.

"Not long now." she said to the quiet as she picked up a stuffed bear from the rocker and sat down, hugging it. She had just started to think they were ready and was in the process if dozing herself when she heard a crash from downstairs.

Maura jumped up, tossed the bear aside and started screaming Jane's name as she ran down the stairs.

"Jane! Are you al...oh, Angela." seeing her mother-in-law standing in the kitchen brought her up short.

"What the hell, Ma?" came Jane's exasperated voice from the couch. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Janie! Watch your language." Angela scolded. "That baby can hear everything you say."

_Thank goodness it can't hear what I don's say!_

"What happened?" asked Maura as she went to the couch to make sure Jane was alright.

"I dropped the casserole dish and it busted." said Angela. "I was trying to be quiet, especially when I saw Janie asleep on the couch, but..."

Maura leaned close to Jane's face and whispered "Is everything still good?"

"Yes." whispered Jane. "Even the baby knows to hide out from Ma."

They both giggled.

"What are you two giggling about?" asked Angela as she swept up the mess in the kitchen.

Jane said, "We were laughing because all I get done anymore is pee. Speaking of that, could you help me up, Maura. I've got to go again."

They'd made it through another Rizzoli family dinner. Jane only had one contraction during that time and Maura was able to distract Angela by asking her what was in her red sauce until Jane stopped squeezing her hand.

"Thank you for distracting Ma for me earlier." said Jane as they crawled into bed.

"Anything for you, my love." Maura said as she leaned down to give Jane a kiss.

Jane's face contorted and her breathing sped up as she grabbed her stomach with both hands. "These are getting stronger." she grunted.

"Should we go?" asked Maura, voice full of anxiety.

"They're still an hour or so apart." said Jane, sweat glistening on her brow. "When they are coming steady and thirty minutes apart, we'll go."

Reluctantly, Maura agreed. She noted that the time was 10:30pm.

Jane had only been awakened twice throughout the night by contractions. What wakened her this time was the ringing of Maura's cell phone. Jane saw it was 5:02am.

"Dr. Isles-Rizzoli." Maura's sleepy voice said into the phone.

Silence while the person on the other end spoke.

"I see." said Maura. "So, crime scene is done and the morgue van is there?"

Silence.

"Tell the morgue tech to wait and I'll be there. Don't let anyone move the body until I get to see it."

Silence.

"Oh, it did? We went to bed at 10:30pm and it wasn't snowing then. Okay. Please tell them I am coming and yes, I will be careful. Thank you." Maura hung up.

"Got a body?" Jane asked as she looked over at her wife's silhouette.

"Yes and apparently it has snowed since we went to bed."

Maura heard a sharp intake of breath and knew Jane was in the grip of another contraction.

"Maybe I should call back and have another doctor go. I don't want to leave you, especially now."

Jane blew out a breath and said, "I'm coming with you."

"What? No. You can't. You're in labor."

"All the more reason for me to be with you. You go and look at the body then we go to the hospital. With the snow and all, I'd rather be sitting at the hospital than stuck in a snow bank somewhere."

"Good point." said Maura.

They got up and got dressed then headed downstairs.

"My bag." said Jane just as they were headed out the door. "We forgot my hospital bag."

Maura ran back upstairs and came back down a few minutes later, bag in hand.

The roads were treacherous and Maura was glad Jane had made the suggestion that they stay together.

Jane continued to have contractions. Some were stronger than others but were coming a bit more regular and closer together.

They arrived on the scene and Maura suggested that Jane stay in the car. For once, Jane listened.

Maura had been gone for about twenty minutes and Jane was becoming antsier by the second. She knew Maura would be furious with her but she needed to get out and walk. She heaved herself out of the car and walked along the front, using it for support. She went to the door she had seen Maura enter and went through herself.

Hearing the noise, Maura and the two autopsy techs looked up.

"Jane. What are you doing in here? I thought you were waiting in the car."

"I was but...oooh...ooouuuccchhh." Jane doubled over in pain. "Oh no!"

"What, Jane?"

"My water just broke."

Maura looked down and saw a puddle collecting between Jane's shoes. "Oh my. We need to go."

Jane grimaced again and held out her hand. "Maura...oooooooouuuucccchhhh!"

Maura raced to Jane's side and grasped her hand. "Let's get you to the car and to the hospital."

They took a few steps toward the door when Jane was gripped by another, stronger contraction. More fluid gushed from between her legs.

"Something's down there, Maura." Jane said, eyes the size of dinner plates. "I think the baby's coming out now!"

Maura could feel panic rising in her chest. "Mike. Bobby. Quick. Let's get her into the back of the morgue van." Mike and Bobby stepped to and carried a protesting Jane out and into the back of the van.

"Maura!" she whined. "Not the dead people van! I don't want to ride...ooohhh." Jane was panting and grasping Maura's hand painfully.

"Bobby. Get me as many blankets and towels as you can. I also have some in the trunk of my car. Mike. Get me a couple of sheets to place under Detective Rizzoli."

"Yes ma'am." they both said and hustled on their way.

"Maura? What's happening?"

"I need to check you but I think you are going to give birth anytime now." Maura said as she slid her hands under Jane's dress and pulled down her panties.

Maura's eyes widened.

"What?" asked Jane as she continued to pant. "Something's happening and I feel like I need to push...aaaaaaaa." Jane grabbed her knees as she moaned.

"I see the head. A head with lots of dark hair. Don't push yet. Let me get a towel."

"I have to push, Maura! I have to!"

"Alright." said Maura with surprising calmness, "On the next contraction, I want you to grab your knees, place your chin to your chest and push as hard as you can. Can you do that, Jane?"

"Yes but..."

"But what, Jane?"

"I don't want my baby born in the dead person van!"

Maura started to tell her that the van was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between bodies but she never got the chance.

Jane's breathing increased and Maura saw the muscles in her abdomen tighten right before Jane grabbed her knees and let out a warrior's cry as she pushed as hard as she could.

"Push, Jane! Push!" Maura said as she helped the baby make it's way down the birth canal and into the world.

Jane pushed and pushed until she was dripping with sweat and the baby still wasn't born.

"Maur.: Jane said, voice weak with exhaustion. "I don't know how much longer I can do this."

"Don't you give up, Jane! Do you hear me? Don't give up!"

Jane felt another contraction building. She gritted her teeth and gave everything she had left to this push. She felt a gush of fluid between her legs then heard the unmistakable sound of an infant's cries. She had done it. The baby was here.

Jane had tears flowing down her cheeks and looked at Maura who also had tears of her own.

"What is it?" Jane asked, exhausted.

"Oh my god, Jane!" said Maura through a tear-thickened voice, "It's a..."


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry for the cliffhanger (actually not...I love cliffhangers). I appreciate all the feedback. You will soon learn the sex of baby Isles-Rizzoli. Please enjoy. :-) MJR**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What is it?" asked Jane as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Oh my god, Jane." said Maura through a tear-thickened throat. "It's a boy! It's Mario!"

"A boy!" exclaimed Jane. "Oh my god! Give him here!" Jane held out her arms for her son.

Maura cleaned their son and wrapped him in a fresh towel then placed a zip-tie around his umbilical cord to cut off the blood flow from his body back into the placenta before handing him to Jane.

Jane was grinning from ear to ear as she placed a kiss on her son's head. "A boy, Maura. We have a son. I can't believe he's here. Hello Mario." She kissed him again.

Maura kissed him too then got back to tending to Jane. She placed another zip-tie on the placenta a few inches from the one she had placed earlier and cut the cord, separating Mario from Jane.

Jane was busy counting Mario's fingers when she look at Maura and asked, "What's going on down there? Something feels funny, like I need to push again."

"It's the placenta. It's time for you deliver it. Can you push for me again?"

"Sure. Are you sure that's all. Something feels weird."

"Weird how?"

Jane's face contorted as if she was in pain. "Take the baby, Maura."

"Jane. What's wrong?"

"I feel like I need to push again and I feel contractions. Something's wrong."

Maura placed the baby on a pile of blankets and returned to Jane and checked her. Maura's eyes grew large once again and she said "Oh god, Jane. There's another baby in there!"

"What?" said Jane just as a contraction gripped her. "Oh god!"

"Jane! Twins?"

Grunting and starting to push again, Jane got out "Apparently!"

Jane pushed and Maura guided their unexpected second child into the world.

"Come on, Jane! One more push and the baby will be here."

"I'm so tired, Maura."

"Jane! You have to push. We need to get this baby out."

Jane bore down with the next contraction and pushed with the little bit of remaining strength she had left. She felt another gush of fluid and heard the weak cries of another infant.

"Maura? What is it? Why is it crying like that?"

"Oh my god, Jane! It's a girl! We have a girl and a boy! It's Lucia!"

"One of each!" Jane said as her eyes overflowed with tears again. "Oh my god, Maura! We have one of each! Give her to me! Where's Mario?"

Maura again cleaned and clamped before handing Lucia to Jane.

"Hello beautiful." said Jane as she placed kisses on her daughter's fuzzy head.

Maura picked up Mario then scooted behind Jane and cuddled her family.

"I'm so happy right now." Jane said as she snuggled her children and sunk closer to the warmth of Maura's body.

"Me too, Jane." said Maura as she wrapped her arms tighter around her wife and children and kissed all three of them on their respective heads. "I never knew I could be so happy and I owe it all to you and our son and daughter."

Maura continued to sit there and hold her family as Jane and the babies slept. She had no idea how long they were there until she heard the unmistakable sound of the ambulance approaching to take her family to the hospital. As gentle as she could, she extracted herself from her family and slipped out the passenger door of the morgue van to greet the ambulance crew. She must have looked a sight because the crew stopped short when they saw her.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" the younger of the two crewmen asked.

"Yes, of course, why do you ask" said Maura, confused.

"We got notice that there was a woman in labor and possibly giving birth and you obviously aren't in labor and this is a morgue van." the young man said as he blushed a brilliant shade of red.

Maura laughed. "Oh, I see. Yes, there was a woman in labor and she did give birth...to twins. I delivered them. I am a physician, the chief medical examiner, and the woman in question is my wife."

"Twins?" both of the crewmen said at the same time.

"Yes, twins. A boy and a girl. My family is sleeping at the moment but I know they are anxious to get to the hospital."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The ride to the hospital was uneventful and Maura met the ambulance at the dock as she promised Jane she would.

There was a flurry of activity as the crew wheeled Jane and the twins into the ER. Jane was just looking to Maura and wondering if Dr. Carter was here when he rounded the corner.

"Well Detective, Doctor. I should have known it would be the two of you coming in when I heard a woman gave birth, aaah to twins I see, in the back of a morgue van."

Jane and Maura both beamed at him.

"You know us, Doc. We never play by the rules." said Jane as she looked at her wife, who she realized was covered in blood...her blood.

"Let's get all of you into a room so I can take a look. Sound good?"

"Yes." Jane and Maura said at the same time.

"Dr. Rizzoli, would you like for me to have the staff get you some scrubs? You are a bit, um, messy."

Maura looked down at herself and realized for the first time how messy she actually was. "Oh, um, yes. That would be very kind of you. Thank you."

The family went into a room and Jane, reluctantly, handed the twins over to the nurses assigned to their care. She tried to sit up to watch what they were doing to her children but she was too sore and too tired so she asked questions. Lots and lots of questions.

Dr. Carter entered the room and handed Maura the scrubs.

She thanked him and slipped into the bathroom to change.

"Alright, Detective. I need to take a look at you. The nurses tell me that the babies are fine. Your daughter is a bit small but she's healthy and your son is perfect. What are their names, by the way?"

"His name is Mario Liam Isles-Rizzoli and her name is Lucia Clare Isles-Rizzoli. We decided to go with names from both our nationalities. Seemed fitting."

"Those are wonderful names. They suit the children well. Now, let's take a look at mom."

Jane smiled, sighed, and wished Maura would hurry up. She really wanted her there for this part of the exam. She heard the bathroom door creak and said, "Thank goodness. I need your hand for this part."

Dr. Carter finished his exam and said that Jane had a second degree tear and needed a few stitches to sew it up. He asked if she wanted a local anesthetic and she declined by saying, "Just do it, Doc. I just gave birth to twins in a dead people van...what's a few pokes with a needle."

Jane grunted and hissed as Dr. Carter placed the sutures but never told him to stop.

"You truly are amazing." Maura said as she kissed her wife.

"What do you mean?" asked Jane as her eyelids threatened to clamp shut.

"You just are and I am so glad you chose me. I am so in love with you."

"I love you too, Maur." Jane said as she drifted off to sleep. The events of the night and early morning finally caught up with her.

Jane awoke in a different room but with a beautiful and familiar blonde asleep in the chair beside her bed. She reached out and touched Maura's hand.

"Wha? Jane?" Maura said as her eyes snapped open, clearly not awake.

"Nothing." Jane said as she smiled at her wife. "I just wanted to touch you. Sorry I woke you."

Maura, now awake, smiled back at Jane and got up to give her a kiss. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore but wonderful." Jane grinned then added, "Twins! No wonder I was as big as a house. Wonder why they couldn't see Lucia on the ultrasounds."

"I wondered that too." said Maura. "The only conclusion I came up with is that Mario was positioned directly over Lucia and blocked her from sight." Maura loved saying the names of her children aloud.

"Oh my god, Maur!" said Jane suddenly stricken.

"Jane. What's wrong?"

"We only have one of everything. We aren't prepared for twins!"

Maura chuckled. "I think we'll be fine for a while. The babies can sleep in the same crib until we get another. After all, they were together for almost nine months."

Jane relaxed a bit then said "Where are Mario and Lucia. They're probably hungry and I want to try and breast feed them."

No sooner did she get that out when there was a knock at the door and two nurses came in, pushing baby beds in front of them. "There are a couple of babies that are anxious to see their mommies!" one of the nurses said in an annoying sing-song voice.

"Mommies." said Jane. "Maura, we're mommies. Can you believe it?"

"It still feels like a dream but yes, I can believe it." Maura went to the closest crib and picked up Lucia and handed her to Jane then picked up Mario and handed him over too.

"How do I do this?" Jane asked in a timid and very un-Jane-like voice.

Maura pulled the curtain around Jane's bed then helped her remove her gown to expose her breasts. As if she knew what was happening, Lucia let out a wail.

"Looks like she already knows what's going on." said Jane as Maura helped her position Lucia so she could latch onto Jane's nipple.

Lucia got the idea on the second try and began to noisily suck.

Jane's eyes grew large.

"Something wrong, Jane?" asked Maura upon seeing the look on Jane's face.

"No. It just feels so strange." She looked at her daughter and realized for the first time that she looked exactly like her when she was a baby.

"Let's try Mario on the other breast." said Maura, pulling Jane out of her trance.

He took a while longer to catch on. He simply preferred to sleep or so it seemed. Finally, he latched on and began to suck but not with the same gusto that his sister did.

Jane looked at him and realized that he too looked like her. _Thank goodness. I was so afraid they would look like Casey._

Mario gave up before Lucia and Jane handed him to Maura before she switched her daughter to the breast her son had abandoned because it felt like she was going to suck the breast she was on inside out. "I know who the eater is going to be." she said with a smile.

Lucia finally got her full of colostrum, which Maura pointed out was very good for the babies, and they were taking turns holding their son and daughter when Jane heard them.

"Oh, no." she groaned. "My family has arrived."

The door banged open and the curtain was pulled aside as Angela Rizzoli, flanked on either side by her two sons, entered the room. "Let me see my grand babies!" she demanded as she sat down on the bed beside her daughter.

Jane and Maura handed the twins to their grandmother who checked each one out from head to toe and back again. "What did you name them?"

"His name is Mario Liam and her name is Lucia Clare." Maura said proudly.

"I like them." Angela said to everyone's surprise. "What will their last name be?"

"Isles-Rizzoli." said Jane as she squeezed Maura's hand.

Angela just made a noise in her throat as she continued to look at her grand children. She let out a heavy sigh.

"What, Ma?" Jane asked, concerned.

"I was just looking at them and thinking about how much they look like you when you were a baby."

"I thought that too." said Jane as she leaned her head on her mother's arm.

"You did good, Janie. You did real good."

XXXXXXXXXXX

_**I hope you liked "A Big Mistake". I am planning on continuing the story of Jane, Maura, and the twins. It will be entitled "Raising the Babies". Thank you so much for reading and for all of your comments. Maura's mother will, finally, be making an appearance in the new story as well as some tense moments...it just wouldn't be my story without them. Thank you again for your support. MJR**_


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